Saving the Country
by cowbell2011
Summary: This starts immediately after 8.2 and disregards every episode after that. My very own Spooks story involving all characters. Will contain H/R too.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So...I was struggling for HR ideas for fics, so I thought, why not just do a general Spooks fic instead with random bits of HR thrown in? This is what I've come up with. It's set after 8.2 and disregards all episodes after that. My thinking is that each chapter is an 'episode' of season 8. I hope it works, let me know what you think if you have the time to review!**

**Also, all names, places, organisations, etc that aren't owned by Kudos are made up by me and bear no resemblance to real life!**

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><p><strong>London Underground, 5.15pm<strong>

The man looked around him suspiciously, aware that he was probably being followed. Pulling his backpack further up onto his shoulder, he hurriedly made his way down the escalator and into the station. Once onto the platform, he looked around again, trying to figure out if any of his fellow commuters had been present at any other point on his journey. The platform wasn't too busy, so his evaluation didn't take long. He was almost certain he had never seen any of these people before in his life, but there was something about the man leaning against the pillar that troubled him. He was sure the man had been staring at him a minute ago. Just to be sure, he turned and made his way into the toilets, immediately swivelling and hiding behind the door.

He waited in silence, ready to pounce if he was correct and he was indeed being followed. After a considerable amount of time, he remained alone in the bathroom and decided he was just being over cautious. Relaxing and allowing himself a small laugh, he returned to the platform, surreptitiously looking around for any other suspicious characters. Noting none, he also realised the man he had previously suspected was nowhere in sight.

The sound of the train arriving brought him from his thoughts and he moved to the edge of the platform and prepared to board. Taking a seat in the middle carriage, he watched as other people boarded, wondering if they knew who he was and what he was there to do. Would they run and hide if they knew? He thought they probably would. The train moved off and began travelling towards its next destination. He placed his backpack on his knees, clutching it tightly to his chest. When the driver announced they were approaching the next stop, he slowly unzipped the edge of the bag and slipped his hand inside, feeling for the object he would soon require.

As the train came to a stop, he saw scores of people waiting to get on, jostling for position at the doors so that they wouldn't have to stand. People began to crowd him, and he was nervous that somebody might see what was inside his backpack. Once it became clear to him that the train was as full as it was going to get, he fumbled about inside his bag, unseeing, but knowing exactly what it was he was looking for. He felt the cool hard metal of his required item, and the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes and pressed the detonator was the large plastic sign on the wall of the platform just outside the train with the word 'Waterloo' in clear white letters.

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><p>'I want to know EVERYTHING about this man. Right down to what colour underwear he was wearing. NOBODY leaves, nobody sleeps, nobody does ANYTHING without my say so until we find out who this bastard was working for.'<p>

To reiterate his point, Harry threw several CCTV pictures of the suicide bomber onto the briefing room table, mixed in with horrific images of the carnage that the suspect had created at Waterloo station by blowing himself up an hour ago. Jo closed her eyes in shock as a particularly nasty image of a mangled body slid towards her. She pushed it back with her eyes closed, not needing a reminder of the horrors that had occurred. It was bad enough that she might have been on that train had she not stopped to meet an old school friend for a drink after finishing work that evening. To say she was shaken would be an understatement.

Nobody had dared speak since Harry's outburst, but they could all understand why he was so angry. Eighty seven people had lost their lives in the bombing, and so far they had no leads as to who the bomber had been working for. Facial recognition and their databases had turned up nothing, and they were all at somewhat of a loss as to what to do next.

The silence in the room was deafening, as Harry paced back and forth, seething. Suddenly, the door to the briefing room was opened and Ruth stepped in shyly, nervous about her first day back to work since returning to England.

'I heard you've got a bit of a situation. Thought you might like my services a day early?'

Harry smiled at her, glad that she was putting their current awkwardness to one side in order to help out for the time being. He motioned for her to sit as he brought her up to speed on the events of the last few hours. Ruth's face paled as she heard the death toll, but she steeled herself against the shock, used to death by now. She just hadn't expected to face such a disaster on her first day back. Idly shuffling through the pictures Harry had thrown onto the table, she listened to him rambling on about all their leads turning to dust when she came across a close up of the suicide bombers face.

'You've checked the Egyptian databases too I presume?'

Harry stopped mid sentence and looked at Ruth with enquiring eyes. She blushed as she could feel everybody staring at her, still not liking being the centre of attention even after all her years of working at Thames House. Looking around at their faces, she could tell nobody in the room had the faintest idea what she meant. Sighing, she held up the picture for everybody to see and began to explain.

'This...'

She pointed with her free hand at a tattoo barely visible on the bombers neck on the grainy CCTV picture.

'...is the membership tattoo of the Egyptian Freedom Fighters Coalition. The man looks English but...he's a member. No doubt. _Nobody_ gets a tattoo like that unless they are part of the group. That's where we start.'

Harry looked around at his team's faces; seeing shock similar to what he imagined was showing on his own at Ruth's knowledge of all things great and small. How they had managed without her for so long he didn't know.

'Right everybody. Get to work then. Ruth, you stay for a moment please.'

The rest of the team shuffled out one by one, leaving Harry and Ruth alone in the room. He approached her carefully, knowing that even after they had cleared the air last week, things between them were still fractious at best.

'Good work Ruth. It's...good to have you back.'

Ruth nodded and moved to exit the office. When she was half out the door, she turned back to Harry, her hand on the door handle.

'It's good to be back Harry.'

For a moment he thought he saw some of the old Ruth in the smile she gave him, but before he had the chance to take a closer look, she was gone and he was left alone in the briefing room, with only his thoughts for company.

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><p>Tariq pushed himself backwards on his chair, allowing his momentum to take him over to Jo's desk. Coming to a stop beside her, he ignored her attempts at ignoring him and whispered in her ear.<p>

'So do you think Harry and Ruth will continue where they left off?'

Jo elbowed Tariq in the side, shooting him an annoyed glance to show her frustration that he had chosen this moment to discuss their colleagues' personal lives.

'I don't know Tariq. It's not really any of our business. How do you know about all that anyway?'

Tariq was about to respond when Ros strode purposefully up to them, a scowl on her face. Jo was in no doubt whatsoever that Ros had heard every word of their conversation, the woman was renowned for knowing every single thing that happened on the grid; it was what made her such a good Section Chief.

'Tariq. Explain to me how gossiping about your co-workers is going to finish the analysis you're supposed to be completing on those bomb fragments on your desk?'

Tariq shrunk back under Ros' gaze and quickly moved back to his desk, head bowed. Jo was not intimidated as easily, looking Ros in the eye as she spoke.

'Look Ros, we weren't...'

'I don't care Jo. What do you have on the EFFC so far?'

Jo sighed, knowing she had lost that particular battle. She was about to reel off all the information she had managed to glean from hacking into the Egyptian security service's database when Ruth began shouting from the other side of the room.

'I've got him! I've got him!'

The whole team, including Harry who had been drawn out of his office by the commotion, crowded around Ruth's desk as she briefed them on the identity of the suicide bomber.

'Michael Summerbee. Born 1976. Extremist political views. He took part in riots as a child before moving to Egypt aged 19 when his father won a lucrative construction contract. That must be when he was turned. Returned to England three years ago, where he's lived in South London ever since. Squeaky clean record. Not even a parking ticket. They must have been planning this for years.'

Harry took a moment to digest this information before speaking.

'Briefing room everybody. Now.'

They filed in one after the other and took their respective seats. Harry motioned for Jo to begin, and she briefly outlined the information she had regarding the EFFC. They were a new extremist group, much like Al Qaeda, except operating out of Egypt. Their agenda was the usual; stop the West from becoming even more powerful, protect their oil reserves and bring down anybody who got in their way. Ros stood when Jo had finished talking, and began to outline her plan to the rest of the team.

'Right. Obviously this man wasn't acting alone. We need to know who he's seen in the last month. Every single person gets checked out. Lucas, I want his house going over. Be careful though, he may have friends there. Ruth, you start going over traffic camera footage, local CCTV, anything like that near where he lived; try to get a picture of his recent movements. Tariq, you concentrate on the bomb, I want to know who supplied the parts for it. And Jo, you're with me. We're going to pay the Egyptian Embassy a visit.'

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><p>Lucas moved silently through the house, aware there could be more EFFC operatives around the next corner. Sweeping quickly through downstairs, he found nothing out of the ordinary and began to climb the stairs. Hearing a noise coming from one of the bedrooms, he drew his gun and ran up the remaining few steps, coming to the top at the same moment a young Egyptian man came out of the farthest room.<p>

'Stop! Don't move or I'll shoot.'

The man looked terrified, and Lucas cuffed him easily. Bundling him into the back of his car, he phoned in to Harry that he was bringing a suspect in before revving his engine and driving away from the house.

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><p>'Well that's all very well Ambassador, but I just don't believe you.'<p>

Ros sat opposite the Egyptian Ambassador, Jo fidgeting impatiently to her left. They had been locked in this pointless exchange for well over half an hour and hadn't managed to gain any useful information so far. Either the Ambassador really didn't know anything, or he was well trained in anti interrogation techniques.

'Believe what you want..._Sarah Cartwright_, I have no knowledge of any Egyptian citizens conducting illegal activity in this country. Now if you'll excuse me...'

'Of course.' Ros nodded.

Jo rose from her chair when her mobile rang, moving out into the corridor briefly to take the call. When she re-entered the room, Ros was saying her goodbyes to the Ambassador so she waited until they were safely outside the building before updating her on the latest situation.

'Lucas has brought in a suspect from Summerbee's residence. He's talking.'

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><p>'I've already told you, I'm just the bomb maker. I didn't know what he was going to do with it, I swear.'<p>

The man started to cry, and Lucas let go of his chin, pushing him back down into his chair.

'Are there any other members of EFFC in the UK?'

'No...no...it was just the two of us. A trial run. To see if we could really pull it off.'

Lucas stared at the man a minute longer before exiting the room and walking over to Harry and Ros, who had been listening in on the whole conversation.

'I think he's telling the truth. Has Ruth uncovered any evidence of any other associates during Summerbee's time in the UK?'

Harry sighed, rubbing his hand over his tired eyes. This interrogation hadn't gone the way he had intended. One measly bomb maker deported back to Egypt would not be justice for all the lives lost today. He refocused his attention as Ros began to speak.

'No other known associates. They entered the country together three years ago. They stayed at home every night and ordered their food online. The only time they ever left the house was to go running of an evening. I agree he's telling the truth. Quite a pitiful existence really.'

The three of them stared at each other for a minute longer, knowing there was not much more they could now do. They would hand the bomb maker off to 6, in order to seek out and destroy his associates in Egypt, then they would deal with the repercussions the bomb had caused on their own soil.

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><p>Harry finally left his office in the early hours of the morning, ready to go home, but was surprised when he saw the light on Ruth's desk still on. Moving closer to her desk he saw that she had fallen asleep, her head resting on her folded arms. Taking a moment to appreciate her beauty as he didn't know when he would get this chance again, he stood and watched as every single one of their lost moments and missed opportunities sped through his head. Oh how he wished things could be different. Slowly, he reached out and nudged her arm to wake her.<p>

'Ruth? Ruth...wake up. Come on, I'll give you a lift home.'

Ruth stirred and sat up sleepily, rubbing her obviously sore neck. Looking around and realising they were the only two left on the grid, she tensed at the thought of being alone with Harry. She forced herself to relax, knowing she had to get past this feeling if they were to work together again. Grabbing her coat, she smiled at him in thanks and they exited the pods together.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to all who reviewed the first chapter, I'm glad you all liked it. Here's the next installment...**

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><p><strong>Whitehall, 7.45am<strong>

Harry walked quickly down the plush corridors of Whitehall, mildly annoyed at having been called in so early. It had been one of the rare times he would have been allowed to sleep in, had he not received the call from the Home Secretary so early. Lying in bed half asleep, he had briefly considered ignoring it before his sense of duty kicked in and he had grabbed the phone and answered it in the grumpiest voice he could muster. Now finding himself at the end of the by now familiar corridor, he took a breath and walked into Blake's waiting room, the secretary knowing him well and waving him through immediately. When he entered, Blake was on the phone so he took a seat and waited patiently, not interested in hearing one side of a politics discussion. Finally, Blake finished up his call and Harry sat to attention, ready for whatever was going to be thrown at him today.

'Ah Harry, sorry to have woken you so early. I've got a problem though and I need a hand from somebody with a bit of tact.'

'Home Secretary?'

Blake shifted uncomfortably in his chair and Harry could tell by his behaviour that whatever it was he wanted to say, it was unlikely to be above board. Inwardly he sighed, deciding that in fact ignoring his phone this morning would indeed have been the better option.

'There's really no way to put it Harry so I'll be blunt. I was photographed last night leaving the residence of a...lady of the night.'

Harry tried not to react, but inside he was surprised to say the least. Of all the things he had thought Blake was about to say, that was incredibly low on his list.

'I see, Home Secretary. And where do I come in to this?'

Blake turned away from Harry, swivelling his chair towards the window. _At least he has the good grace to look embarrassed _Harry thought to himself.

'I saw a photographer snap me as I got into my car. His name's Carl Lightfoot. You can find him at this address.'

Blake threw a business card and a small photo of a young man onto his desk and Harry caught the items as they slid towards the edge on the polished wood. Looking them over briefly, he slipped them into his jacket pocket without any hesitation. Feeling the anger rise inside him, he stood and made to leave, stopping only briefly to take his parting shot at Blake.

'I don't know what you think we do over at Thames House Home Secretary, but covering up sordid affairs for aging politicians isn't in our remit.'

Without waiting for a response Harry left the room, nodding briefly at Blake's secretary before heading in the direction of Thames House. He needed to speak to Ruth.

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><p><strong>Thames House, 1pm<strong>

Ruth smiled as she saw Harry coming through the pods. Their working relationship was going from strength to strength since she had returned to England, something of which she was glad of. Outside of work, they had only shared one private moment; when it had been raining hard and Harry had offered her a lift home. Secretly, she hoped their private relationship would progress like their working one had, although she would never admit that to Harry. As had been the case in the past, she was too afraid of what he and other people would think if anything were to happen between them. She was shaken out of her thoughts by a soft cough and was surprised when she looked up to find him leaning ever so slightly over her desk.

'Hi.'

Just that one word from him sent shivers down her spine and she could do nothing apart from smile up at him and wait for him to continue.

'I could do with a word when you've got a minute. No rush. I...'

Harry trailed off, a look of confusion on his face as something on the TV had caught his attention. She turned her chair to get a better look but all she could see was the photo of a man in the corner of the screen as the newsreader was talking. She turned up the volume so that she could get a better idea of what had gotten Harry so disturbed.

'...the man, known as Carl Lightfoot, was discovered this morning in Hyde Park, in an apparent suicide. Police are asking for any witnesses to...'

Ruth stopped paying attention to the TV when she sensed Harry moving away from her desk. He was stalking towards his office, the anger evident on his face so she followed, sensing this had something to do with what he had been about to tell her. Sliding the door shut behind her, she watched as Harry paced back and forth, thinking to herself that even when he was angry he still looked incredibly handsome. Eventually, she could take the silence no longer and voiced her thoughts.

'Harry, what's wrong? Did you know that man?'

Harry stopped pacing and slumped down into his chair, motioning for Ruth to sit opposite him. He fiddled with the papers on his desk for a moment, seemingly struggling with himself over how much to tell Ruth. Without thinking about what she was doing, Ruth reached over and stilled Harry's hand by placing her own on top of it. Her action had the desired effect, Harry stopping fidgeting and looked up at her.

'Harry...'

Realising their hands were still touching, she reluctantly broke the contact and folded her hands on her lap, waiting patiently for Harry to explain. When he did finally speak, she felt her whole body stiffen at his words.

'That man was murdered by the Home Secretary.'

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><p><strong>Whitehall, 1.45pm<strong>

Harry burst through the two sets of large ornate wooden doors, not even stopping to acknowledge Blake's secretary on the way in. Blake looked mildly surprised to see him, but hung up the phone immediately on Harry's entrance. Harry didn't even give him time to speak before beginning his tirade.

'How DARE you. How dare you commit murder to cover up your own failings. What did you think was going to happen? That I wouldn't _notice?_ I look after this country for heaven's sake, of course I was going to find out! Well let me tell you this, you small sweaty little man. You aren't going to get away with this. I'll find the proof I need and you will spend the rest of your life in prison.'

Harry turned, his jacket fanning out from the sheer force of his movements. He was halfway out the door when Blake's next comment stopped him dead in his tracks.

'How's Ruth Evershed settling back in? No problems with her paperwork?'

It took Harry less than a second to stride back over to Blake's desk. Leaning over it menacingly, he took pleasure in the look on Blake's face and the way he shrank away from him in fear. His voice was dangerously low when he spoke and he pronounced every word carefully to make sure the man before him knew how deadly serious he was.

'If you do anything to her, I will kill you. Slowly, and extremely painfully.'

Unable to take the smug look on Blake's face any longer, Harry left the office, slamming the door behind him in anger.

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><p><strong>Thames House, 3.15pm<strong>

'Ros. A word. Now.'

Harry didn't even wait for a reply; he knew there wouldn't be one. What he liked about Ros was that when it came to the business end of things, she didn't mess around. He could rely on her to be frank and honest and not say any more than was necessary. Waiting until she had closed his office door behind her, he poured them both a large whisky and slumped into his chair.

'Carl Lightfoot was murdered by the Home Secretary to cover up his affair with a prostitute. He made it clear in no uncertain terms that if I meddle in this, he'll make it difficult for Ruth. Thoughts?'

Ros took a moment to digest the information, taking a sip of her whisky and sitting across from Harry. She could tell he was seething by his heavy breathing and the way he was slamming everything down on his desk after he was finished with it. Realising this was a situation where he would appreciate her honesty, she got straight to the point.

'We look after our own. No questions asked. Set him up. Tax fraud, bribery, anything. Get him out of the cabinet and silenced before he has a chance to do anything to Ruth.'

Harry nodded along, relived that Ros had realised the need to not ask awkward questions about this situation.

'I can rely on you to use your judgement on this? I want him out of London by the end of the day.'

Ros simply nodded and wordlessly left Harry's office, heading straight for Tariq's desk. The young techie looked up as she approached, quickly closing down Solitaire before his Section Chief could notice.

'Tariq. I need falsified bank accounts. I need pictures of Nicholas Blake and a loan shark dating back six months. I need proof of Blake's visits to a prostitute in Mayfair. And I need it all by 5pm. Use Jo if you need assistance but do not under any circumstances involve Ruth. Any questions?'

Tariq shook his head, too shocked at the sudden turn in events to say anything. Ros took it as a sign that she was no longer needed and stalked off in the direction of the pods. He watched her go, thoroughly confused, then jerked into action, typing furiously away on his keyboard.

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><p><strong>Thames House roof, 5.05pm<strong>

The wind raged against the four figures, blowing hair and jackets in every available direction. Harry turned to face his two junior officers and Ros, lines of worry etched on his face.

'I want you to know your actions today won't go unnoticed. They will come up in your pay review. It's probably better you two don't know any more about this, you can go back down to the grid now. And remember, not a word to Ruth. I'll deal with her.'

Jo and Tariq exchanged a look before moving silently to the door and out of sight. Harry leaned against the railing and motioned for Ros to do the same. He looked out over the city for a moment, enjoying the view.

'If he doesn't go quietly, this will have consequences Harry. You'll lose your job. Christ, blackmailing the Home Secretary, that could even be classed as treason.'

'I'm well aware of that, thank you Ros. But I can't let him get away with this. Threatening Ruth was the last straw.'

Realising too late what he had said, he looked to Ros to see her reaction. There was none, and he thanked her silently for not pushing him for more. Nodding in her direction, he clutched the file of evidence close to his chest and left for Whitehall.

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><p><strong>Whitehall, 6pm<strong>

'Don't mind me Home Secretary, just delivering some post.'

Blake looked positively outraged when Harry burst into his office yet again and snatched the phone out of his hand, hanging up the call without so much as a word to the person on the other end.

'Apologies, but I think you'll find this a rather interesting read.'

Harry watched as Blake began to look through the file, his face clouding over at the fabricated evidence against him. Once he had finished reading, he closed the file and rested his hands on top of it.

'I suppose it won't help me to destroy this and have you arrested?'

Harry shook his head, almost laughing at Blake's pathetic attempt at escaping the situation.

'There are officers outside waiting to take you into custody. Your powers as Home Secretary have been rescinded. I went straight to the PM with this one Nicholas.'

Harry stood, not wanting to be in Blake's company any longer than necessary. He leaned over the desk suddenly, grabbing Blake roughly by his shirt and tie and pulling his close to him so that their noses were almost touching.

'Nobody. _Nobody_ threatens those that I care about. You crossed a line. Enjoy the rest of your life in prison.'

Shoving Blake back down into his chair, Harry turned and left without uttering another word.

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><p><strong>Thames House, 6.30pm<strong>

Harry strode back onto the grid and made for his office, stopping momentarily at Ruth's desk on his way.

'My office. A word.'

Once safely inside with the door shut, he motioned for her to sit. Harry didn't quite know where to start. He had already told Ruth that Lightfoot had been murdered by Blake, but he hadn't gone into any more detail than that, and he dearly hoped she wasn't too angry at him for what he had done today. Taking a deep breath, he began to explain.

'Ruth, Blake threatened to have you deported if I exposed him as a murderer. So...I had Ros, Tariq and Jo set him up for tax fraud and bribery. He is no longer the Home Secretary.'

Ruth nearly choked on the glass of water she had been sipping when she heard what Harry had to say. Slamming the glass down hard on his desk, Harry's heart sank when it became obvious that she was not happy at all.

'Harry, you can't go around breaking the law for me whenever you like. Christ! That man has a family. Did you think about that?'

Ruth stood and began moving towards his office door. Without thinking, Harry shouted out the first thing that came to mind.

'I wasn't thinking of anything but you Ruth. I can't lose you again.'

Ruth stopped dead in her tracks but didn't turn round. Harry's admission had shocked her. She knew he still had feelings for her and her for him; that much was obvious, but it was unlike him to be so emotionally forthright and she hadn't been prepared for it. When she eventually did turn to face him, he was standing so close to her that she could smell his aftershave and it made her sway slightly.

'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have...I've said too much.'

Harry began to backtrack and Ruth realised she had better say something before he clammed up completely. Taking a huge risk, she stroked his cheek with her fingertips. Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke, not trusting herself to talk at normal levels when he was so close to her.

'Maybe you haven't said enough Harry.'

They stared into each other's eyes for a long moment, until the spell was broken by a knocking at Harry's door. Ruth let her hand fall limply at her side, giving Harry one last longing look before leaving his office and allowing Ros entry.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So I saw the new Sherlock Holmes film tonight and I took inspiration from it for this chapter. I hope you like it. And thank you all once again for the brilliant reviews, they encourage me to write quicker!**

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><p>Walking quickly down the deserted alleyway, the elderly man came to stop in front of a graffiti covered door and looked around to make sure he had not been followed before entering. Making his way down the tight corridor, he passed the two guards holding machine guns without so much as a second glance and opened the large metal door at the end of the corridor, cringing at the grating sound it made as it scraped against the floor. Once safely inside the room, he quickly surveyed the other occupants before seating himself in the spare chair. When he finally spoke, it was in fluent Russian, and the other men listened intently.<p>

'Our plan is in its final stages. The asset is in place. Funds are secured.'

There were murmurs of worry around the table and a short stocky man two seats down from the elderly gentleman spoke up.

'What of the...loose ends?'

'Tied up.'

The older man signalled to the waiter for a round of drinks, and the men waited as they were each poured a shot of vodka. They held their glasses up triumphantly, chinking them together and causing droplets of the drink to splash over the table.

'Gentlemen, by this time tomorrow night, the Prime Minister of England will be a dead man.'

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><p>'OK people, settle down. Now, as we all know, tonight is the American Trade Embassy Ball, and the new Home Secretary has requested our presence. Something about him wanting to make a good first impression on the PM.'<p>

There were murmurs around the briefing room and Harry paused to let them have their say. It was Ros who spoke up first.

'Andrew Lawrence. What do we think of him? On our side?'

Harry sighed, thinking back to his first meeting with Lawrence yesterday morning. It hadn't been a pleasant affair for him.

'He's a pompous little man. Handed the world on a silver platter. But he's on our side.'

'I bet you just had the most fun with him didn't you Harry.'

Harry shot Ros a disdainful look before turning back to the rest of the group.

'The PM and Home Secretary will be in attendance from our side, as will head of CIA operations in the UK; Simon Harrison, and a team of American trade delegates. The purpose of the ball is to signify the signing of a new treaty that will provide us with new weapons for our armed forces at a fraction of the market price. We cannot afford for this to go any less than perfect. Understood?'

The team nodded as a whole and Harry handed off the rest of the briefing to Ros, only half listening as she handed out orders. His attention had been taken by Ruth. She seemed to be distracted this morning and he vowed to find out what was wrong with her before the day was out. Realising the briefing was coming to an end, he tuned into the last of Ros' speech.

'...and Lucas you go to the hotel, liaise with the CIA and make sure there are no problems at their end. That's it for now.'

The group rose as a whole and filed out the briefing room, each getting straight to work on their given tasks. Harry made a beeline for Ruth's desk, noticing again that she looked somewhat unhappy. Leaning on the edge of the cool metal, he spoke quietly so as not to startle her.

'Everything OK Miss Evershed?'

Ruth looked up quickly and Harry could tell she was close to tears. Without saying another word he ushered her into his office and closed the door firmly behind them. Moving her onto his sofa, he sat beside her, making sure not to sit too close and scare her. He waited patiently for her to speak, squeezing her arm gently in a show of support.

'You'll think I'm stupid.'

A look of shock passed over Harry's face and he quickly hid it, wanting to know why on earth this beautiful woman would think she was being stupid.

'Ruth, you are the most intelligent human being I know. You could never be seen as stupid. What's the matter?'

Ruth played with the hem on her shirt, fidgeting nervously on her spot on the sofa. Eventually she turned to face Harry, and when she spoke her voice was quiet and timid, like she was afraid of his reaction to what she was about to say.

'You're going to the Embassy Ball tonight.'

Harry nodded for her to continue, having an idea already where this conversation was going, and deep down hoping he was right. His suspicions were confirmed when Ruth's next two sentences came out all at once in a garbled rush and she immediately looked down, finding something extremely interesting on the carpet of Harry's office.

'YouaskedJotogowithyouandnotme. IsupposeI'mjealous.'

Harry watched Ruth continue to fiddle with the edge of her shirt, feeling a rush of love for the woman before him course through his veins. Slowly and gently, he took her chin with his hand and forced her to look at him.

'Ruth...will you go to the Embassy Ball with me?'

* * *

><p>Lucas stood in the centre of the room, turning slowly and surveying every possible entry or exit point. There were many, and he wondered why the CIA had chosen a room with such a security disadvantage to hold their ball in. He spotted a man entering from the other end of the room, pointing and giving out orders to others and assumed he must be the man in charge. Approaching, he flashed his security pass and introduced himself.<p>

'Lucas North, from Five. Is everything set up here?'

The man shook his hand, showing his own ID in the process.

'Simon Harrison, CIA. Perimeters are secure. All staff have been vetted. A sweep of the building to check for hidden devices is being conducted as we speak.'

Lucas nodded, turning once again to look around the large hall.

'Don't you think this is rather...open? How will you control who is entering and exiting the ball?'

Harrison shook his head and laughed quietly before responding.

'No need. Once personnel are inside the building they are free to come and go as they please. Identification is shown at the door and once you're in, you're in for the duration.'

'No fingerprint identification?'

Harrison laughed again, and Lucas felt annoyance at the man. He didn't seem to be taking this very seriously at all.

'You Brits, always so paranoid.'

* * *

><p>All was quiet on the grid, and Harry had just poured himself a whisky when Tariq came barging into his office, mildly out of breath.<p>

'Not you too. Is knocking no longer the social norm?'

'Sorry Harry...but...you have to see this.'

Harry read the piece of paper Tariq passed him quickly and felt his blood run cold at the words on the page.

'You're sure this is accurate?'

Tariq simply nodded, and Harry ushered him out of his office and towards the briefing room, shouting for the others to join them as he went. He wasted no time in beginning his explanation, not even waiting for Lucas to come through the pods.

'There will be an attempt on the PM's life at the Embassy Ball tonight. We don't know how, but we do know who. GCHQ intercepted communications between Russian terrorists talking about their 'asset being in place'. I need to know what this means right now. This...'

Harry pressed a button and the television came to life with a picture of an elderly Russian man.

'...is Egor Tarasov. A long time target of ours. We've never been able to pin him down. Until now. He is one of the men on the communications GCHQ intercepted. Lucas, get down to this location right now, and take Jo. Use extreme caution. The rest of you, get working on his known associates and cross reference them with everybody on the guest list for tonight. That's all. Ruth, stay behind.'

Ruth waited until the others had left the room before moving towards Harry, stopping entirely too close to him for his liking. He could barely breathe when she stood so close, let alone think clearly.

'Ruth, I want you to swap assignments back with Jo for tonight. I don't want you in any danger.'

Ruth looked slightly offended at the suggestion, but realised Harry could be right. On most occasions that she had ventured off the grid, it had ended badly and she had invariably ended up getting hurt in some way. However, she wasn't going to take this one lying down.

'No way Harry. You asked me to go with you and I want to go. Admittedly, I was your second choice, but if it's all the same to you...'

She trailed off, not quite knowing how to finish the sentence. Sensing she had won the argument, she patted Harry on the arm playfully to try and lighten the mood.

'Besides, with you there to protect me, I'll be fine.'

As she was walking away, she heard Harry speak quietly.

'You're never second choice for me Ruth.'

If she hadn't been so aware of his presence and every move she might have missed what he said. As it was, she smiled softly at his words and looked back to meet his eyes briefly before leaving the room.

* * *

><p>Ruth and Tariq waited impatiently at the work station as Lucas and Jo scoured every inch of Tarasov's hideout for any clues to the identity of the Russian asset. Harry was pacing back and forth behind them and it was driving Ruth crazy just seeing him out of the corner of her eye. She was about to turn and admonish him when she heard Jo's voice crackling over the intercom.<p>

'Control, there's nothing of use here. All we have are sketches of some faces, medical equipment and a chair. There's blood everywhere but no sign of any recent activity. What do you want us to do?'

Ruth shared a look with Tariq and suddenly something inside her clicked. She leapt up from her chair and raced off towards her desk, rummaging through the pile of books and files looking for something.

'Control? What are our orders?'

Harry leaned over Tariq's shoulder and ordered the two spooks back to the grid, irritation showing in his voice.

'Harry...maybe we should think about calling off the ball? We don't have any solid leads on the assassin.'

Harry looked sharply at Tariq, his annoyance only increasing at the young techie's naivety.

'This agreement represents a new lease of life for our armed forces. They are stretched to the limit with regards equipment, and this could save hundreds of lives. If we call off this ball, there will be no agreement. We go ahead as planned. The PM would not allow a cancellation even if I recommended it.'

Tariq looked suitably chastised, an apology on the tip of his tongue when Ruth came flying back to the workstation, a thin file in her shaking hands.

'This is it. This is how they're going to get the assassin into the ball. Facial reconstruction. There was a report from Six about it a few weeks ago, some agent in the field uncovered a plot in Southern America. It's all the rage apparently. You operate on a man to make him look like somebody else. Obviously it only works with somebody who isn't familiar to you. But it's good enough to fool ID checks.'

'Excellent work Ruth. Get this information to Lucas and Jo. Then come with me. We've got a ball to prepare for.'

* * *

><p>Lucas looked nervously around the room at the group of suspects. They had narrowed down the assassin to the group of American trade delegates, having discovered that they had only been in the country for a week and hadn't ever met each other previous to that. There were four of them in total and for the most part they stayed together. He didn't like that they were cutting it so fine, but his suggestion of simply preventing any of them from entering the ballroom had been cast aside. Harry had been adamant everything must go according to plan so as not to risk the agreement.<p>

Lucas watched as one of the trade delegation reached into his inside pocket and he tensed momentarily, preparing to pounce. His instincts were proved wrong this time as the man simply retrieved his phone from his inside pocket. Catching Jo's eye from across the room, he shook his head before moving to get a better position.

Annoyingly, all members of the delegation had beards; something which he wouldn't have believed possible. It seemed to him somebody higher up was working against them. At least, if he believed in that kind of thing. He was brought from his thoughts of ordering the group to shave by the sound of Harry in his ear.

'The PM will be signing the agreement in ten minutes. That will be the best moment for the assassin to make his move. We have to act now. Do something Lucas.'

Lucas looked at each man in turn, desperately trying to think of some way to pick out the assassin. His heart rate increased considerably when it came to him. Discreetly, he spoke into his microphone to prepare the others.

'Jo, I'm about to make my move. When it happens, you'll know which one to go for.'

He watched Jo from across the room and she caught his eye briefly in acknowledgement. Hoping that his actions would be successful, he jumped up onto the nearest table and began shouting in Russian.

'There's a bomb, there's a bomb. Everybody out.'

The entire population inside the room looked blankly at him, confusion etched in their faces as they clearly didn't understand Russian. All except for one bearded man, among a group of four. He looked panicked and began to move for the nearest door, eyes on Lucas. He didn't see Jo come up behind him and he was knocked out cold by a swift blow to the head. The team crowded round the unconscious man as Lucas secured him, and it was Harry that spoke first.

'Very ingenious Lucas. Well done. Everybody can go straight home from here. Let Special Branch take the bugger.'

Once Lucas and Jo were no longer within earshot, Harry turned to Ruth and spoke with a softness in his voice that she simply could not refuse.

'Can I offer you a lift home?'

* * *

><p>The car journey had been silent for the most part, the only conversation being remarks on the success of the operation. Too soon they arrived at Ruth's flat and Harry couldn't help the disappointment that came over him at having to leave her. They sat in the car, neither moving, neither wanting the moment to end.<p>

'I guess I'll see you...'

'Thank you for...'

They both spoke at the same time and Harry motioned for Ruth to continue.

'Thank you for the lift Harry. Tonight was...interesting.'

She opened the car door and was half way out when Harry grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back in. The surprise was evident on her face and it only increased when Harry promptly leaned over and pressed his lips against her own. The kiss was chaste and lasted for a second, but to Ruth it was perfect, and everything she had been waiting for. Slowly leaning back into his seat, Harry squeezed Ruth's hand, his voice wavering as he spoke.

'Is that saying enough for you Ruth?'

Ruth felt a wave of bravery sweep over her and she closed the gap between them, kissing Harry again. This time, they let themselves get carried away in the moment and it wasn't until Ruth felt Harry's tongue sweep over her lips requesting entry that she reluctantly pulled away.

'I'd...better um, go. Inside. You know. To my flat. Goodnight Harry.'

Harry revelled in the effect he had on the normally together and intelligent woman, stroking her cheek once more before allowing her to leave the car.

'Goodnight Ruth.'

He waited until she was safely inside her flat then drove off, a wide smile staying on his face the entire drive home.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so chuffed with the reviews so far for this, I never thought it would get such a good reception. Your kind words inspire me to write quicker. But I apologise for what I've done in this chapter! **

* * *

><p>'I'm glad we're doing this again Harry.'<p>

They were walking hand in hand along the Embankment after having been to a wonderful restaurant and eaten the most glorious food. Harry tugged on Ruth's hand, signalling her to stop.

'I just hope it won't be another 5 years until our third date.'

Ruth laughed and stepped closer to Harry. She was so close, all he had to do was lean forward a few centimetres and he could kiss her, but he was still nervous about how she would react despite their tryst in his car the previous week. Ruth must have sensed his indecision because she stepped even closer so that their chests were touching.

'You can kiss me Harry. If you want to of course.'

Harry didn't need telling twice and he closed the gap between them, marvelling at how perfectly they seemed to fit together. He moved his gloved hands further up Ruth's arms and let them come to rest on her shoulders, eliciting a gentle moan from her by massaging them slowly. Eventually they pulled apart and Harry retook Ruth's hand in his own, leading her further on down the river. They were so lost in each other's company that they did not notice the man hidden in the shadows of the nearest building frantically taking pictures of them.

* * *

><p>Ruth was flustered. She was already late for work and now her bank card wasn't working. Each time she put it in the machine it informed her that she was required to contact her local branch. Frowning, she slipped the card back into her bag and hurried off towards Thames House. Her account would have to wait until a later date; she didn't want to keep Harry waiting. She was half way down the street when she had the uncanny feeling she was being watched. Trying not to make it obvious, she pretended to drop her umbrella on the floor, taking a discreet look behind her as she bent to retrieve it. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, she blamed it on her paranoia and continued on her way. Once she was safely inside the front doors of Thames House, the man slipped out from the alleyway and, clutching his camera tightly, he hurried in the opposite direction.<p>

* * *

><p>'Harry, I'm so sorry I'm late. I got caught up with Fidget and then my bank card wouldn't work and then I thought...oh never mind. Sorry.'<p>

Harry smiled at her, a twinkle in his eyes to let her know she was off the hook before returning to the file on his lap. When he noticed Ruth was still stood awkwardly in his office he put the file back down on his desk and moved to stand beside her, drawing his blinds as he went.

'Is there something else Ruth?'

He motioned for her to sit beside him on the couch and she obliged, though not as close as he would have liked.

'It's just...this thing between us...whatever it is. I'd like to keep it just that for now. Between us. If you don't mind.'

Harry felt his good mood fast slipping away from him, having heard this conversation before in this very same room. Ruth noticed his unhappiness and took his hands in her own. The touch sent jolts of electricity through him but it didn't help to stop the aching in his heart.

'I'm not saying I don't want it. Christ, I do. But I'm still adjusting to being back and I'd quite like for everything to settle down before I'm known as the woman who sleeps with her boss again.'

They both realised what she had said immediately, Harry's head shooting up with a surprised look on his face. Ruth had turned a rather intriguing shade of beetroot and began to backtrack.

'I mean...not that we...I would never presume...I certainly wouldn't expect...'

Harry silenced Ruth by kissing her forcefully and allowed his hands to wander up into her hair to pull her even closer to him. He briefly considering getting carried away but didn't want to risk scaring her off again so with great reluctance he pulled away, noting with satisfaction Ruth's swollen lips and heavy breathing.

'You may not have noticed Ruth, but I'm a spook. I can do secrecy. And as for...your other comment. Well, I make a mean scrambled egg on toast for breakfast.'

Ruth turned even redder and Harry was slightly concerned for her health. She took a few minutes to compose herself and Harry watched through a small gap in his closed blinds as she returned to her desk, wondering when he would ever be brave enough to tell her how he really felt.

* * *

><p>There had been a lull in activity on the grid today. No terrorists had tried to blow anything up, no new extremist groups had made themselves known. The team were using the quiet as an opportunity to catch up on paperwork. The swoosh of the pods opening caused them all to look up, hopeful of something more interesting to do. Ros exchanged a glance with Lucas when the head of the JIC, Bruce Lockley, walked in, flanked by two uniformed police officers. They headed straight for Harry's office and he saw them coming, hanging up the phone immediately.<p>

By now, the whole team had gathered around Ruth's desk, hers affording the best view of Harry's office. They watched as the argument between Harry and Lockley became more and more heated, the two uniformed officers standing uncomfortably by the door.

'Lucas, get on the system now, see if you can't figure out why they're here.'

Lucas nodded at Ros' request and began working on his station. The commotion from the office was getting louder and louder and they could now hear the odd word through the thick glass. Ruth caught 'evidence' and 'arrest' and began to get nervous.

'Oh God.'

The group as a whole turned towards Lucas when he spoke. The look on his face told them there was something seriously wrong. He didn't need any encouragement to explain his horror.

'There's an arrest warrant been issued this afternoon. For Ruth.'

Like a game of tennis, all eyes then swung to Ruth, who had covered her mouth in horror.

'But...but...why?'

The rest of the group once again looked back to Lucas, who turned the computer screen around for all to view.

'Murder. They've reopened the Cotterdam investigation.'

Nobody spoke a word, too shocked to say anything. The sound of arguing from within Harry's office could still be faintly heard. Ruth looked over and for a split second her eyes met Harry's. She could see the worry in them for her, as well as the love. He wasn't going to take this lying down. And neither was she.

'Tariq. A legend now. Quickly. And a safe house.'

Tariq moved quickly, stumbling over Ruth's chair in his haste to retrieve her requested items. She turned to speak to Ros, and was surprised when she found her already in her coat, car keys at the ready.

'Ros, what are you...?'

'I failed you the first time this happened Ruth. I won't make that mistake again. Come on.'

They shared a brief smile before a loud shout from inside Harry's office spurred them on. Grabbing her coat and bag, she gave Tariq, Lucas and Jo one last look before moving quickly towards the pods with Ros. They closed behind her just as Harry's office door opened. Lockley was walking quickly towards the team, still gathered around Ruth's desk, with the two uniformed officers by now looking like they wished they were somewhere else. Harry strode out behind them, trying to block Lockley's path but was pushed aside. This only served to increase his anger and he grabbed Lockley by the arm, turning him to face him.

'I will NOT let you take one of my officers on some jumped up phony warrant. You leave here now before I say something I regret.'

Lockley simply shook Harry's hand off his arm and continued on his journey towards the team.

'Where is Ruth Evershed?'

He looked into each person's eyes individually, finding only hatred for him. Not one person responded to him so he decided to take action into his own hands. Turning to face Jo, he stepped close to her in a failed attempt to intimidate her.

'Are _you_ Ruth Evershed?'

When Jo didn't respond, he snatched her security pass from her belt and ripped it open.

'Joanna Portman. You'll be working security at Harrods by the end of the month for your insubordination.'

'That's enough Bruce. Ruth isn't here. You'll have to find her yourself.'

Bruce turned to Harry with a look of disgust on his face.

'If I find out you've hidden her from me, there'll be hell to pay Harry.'

'Good day Bruce.'

Harry watched as Lockley and his two officers left the grid. He waited until the pods had fully closed behind them before turning to his team.

'Where the hell is Ruth?'

* * *

><p>Ruth paced the dingy kitchen of the safe house as Ros sat at the table on the phone to Thames House. She waited patiently until the call was finished, asking questions the second Ros' phone was safely back inside her jacket pocket.<p>

'What's going on? Do they know where I am? What's Harry said about it all? Do I have to leave the country again?'

Ruth stopped pacing and stared at Ros. Her bottom lip was trembling and Ros could tell the tears were about to fall. She was not good with crying women and frantically tried to think of something to say when she was saved by the kitchen door opening.

'Oh, Harry!'

Ruth was next to him in less than a second, throwing her arms around him despite Ros' presence. Harry shot her a look to let her know she was no longer needed and she nodded slightly and smiled, making herself scarce quietly. Once alone, Harry led Ruth to the living room and sat her on the sofa.

'Listen Ruth, I've had Tariq, Jo and Lucas working all day on this. Whoever did this has essentially taken back your whole life. They've cancelled your credit cards, passport, reissued the arrest, everything. We've no solid leads yet but I'm sure it's...'

'Mace and Blake.'

Ruth interrupted and Harry hated the tone of voice she had used. It was as if she had given up already. He grabbed her by the arms and forced her to look at him.

'Now you listen here, I'm not letting them take you from me again. I swear to you.'

Ruth couldn't stop the tears any longer and she let them fall freely. Harry embraced her tightly, not knowing what else he could say. His heart ached for her. He thought back to their conversation that morning; about her not being ready to tell people about them because she wasn't settled back in the country yet. She had been back a matter of months and already there was a possibility she would be forced out again. _No_ he thought, _she's not going anywhere again._

'Harry...please don't let them make me leave again. I couldn't take it.'

He didn't have the right words to comfort her at that moment so he did the next best thing. He kissed her for all he was worth.

**To be continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Two things about this chapter. Firstly, Harry murdering Blake is probably one of my favourite Spooks scenes ever, so I had to include my slightly altered version of it. And secondly, I pinched a line from my favourite series 10 moment for this chapter, as I felt it went well with the conversation. Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>When Ruth awoke for a moment she didn't know where she was. Then the events of the previous day came flooding back to her and the pasty walls of the safe house seemed just as uninviting as they had done last night. The only good thing she could find about her current situation was Harry's arm draped protectively over her body. They hadn't done anything the previous night, but she had been so distraught that she remembered asking him if he would stay with her. Ever the perfect gentleman, he was still dressed in his shirt and trousers, not wanting to embarrass her or give her the wrong impression. It only made her want him more. <em>No<em> she thought to herself, _if I've got to leave the country again I can't get close to him_.

Harry stirred soon after, the morning light hitting his eyes and he squinted against it. He tightened his grip around Ruth, sensing she was still extremely upset over the situation they currently found themselves in. Once he finally opened his eyes, he found Ruth staring at him intently. He leaned forward to kiss her but she pulled back.

'Ruth? What's the matter?'

He began to worry, seeing the same look in her eyes that he had seen that day so many years ago when she had turned down his offer of a second date.

'I'm sorry Harry...I can't. It was hard enough to leave you the first time. I...I won't be able to do it again if we're together. I'm sorry.'

Before he had time to react she had slipped out of the bed and fled to the bathroom. He stared after her retreating form, watching the closed bathroom door for a long moment before letting his head flop back down onto the pillows. He was back to square one. She was building back up the walls he had taken so long to break down and he could feel her slipping from his grasp. Rising from the bed, he retrieved his belt and tie, vowing to put right this mess if it was the last thing he did.

* * *

><p>Ros watched from the safety of her desk as Harry stomped and stormed around his office. She didn't think his phone and stapler would ever fulfil their intended purpose again after having hit the wall with so much force, but then again, she supposed Harry didn't care. She knew how he felt, despite her reputation as an 'Ice Queen', she cared for Ruth as a friend and didn't want to see her come to any harm. A plan began to formulate in her mind. It was risky, and could get them all into a lot of trouble if it went wrong, but she thought Harry ought to hear it anyway. Steeling herself for a volatile entrance, she knocked lightly on Harry's office door and entered without waiting for a response.<p>

'WHAT!'

Ros showed no outward sign that she had even noticed Harry's rage, continuing as if he had greeted her with utter politeness.

'I have a plan. It's risky. But from the abuse you've been dishing out to your stationery I take it you have nothing better.'

Harry motioned for Ros to sit, pouring them both a hefty dose of whiskey.

'Talk.'

Apparantly Harry's rage had limited him to one word sentences.

'It's obvious that Mace and Blake are behind this. Blake is a ruined politician with no remaining power. He will have likely made an anonymous tip off to the police about Ruth's whereabouts. Mace is the brains. He will be behind the cancelling of her passport, cards, everything else. He still roams the corridors of Whitehall. He will be trickier to take care of.'

Ros paused to see Harry's reaction to her assessment of the situation. He merely nodded at her to continue and took a large gulp of his drink. She gave him a brief look to suggest that it was far too early to be drinking but he ignored it and motioned again irritably for her to continue.

'Mace may still hold some power but he's out of the loop. We set him up. I pretend I'm looking to join a group similar to Yalta. It wouldn't surprise me if he had links. I'll use him as my way in. Gain his trust. Tell him the thing with Ruth has made me realise Five is corrupt. I'll wear a wire and get him to confess. Blake...I think you can deal with him in the way you see fit, am I wrong?'

Harry gazed out of his office window for a long time while he pondered Ros' plan. She began to think he was going to dismiss it when he suddenly put his now empty glass down on the polished wood desk beside him, the glass colliding heavily with the surface to indicate Harry's mood had not subsided one bit.

'It's risky. Are you sure it will work?'

_At least he's managing more than one word now_ Ros thought to herself wryly, and nodded.

'If he needs encouragement, I'll get out the big guns. I noticed him staring at my arse on more than one occasion. A little charm should do the trick.'

Harry chuckled at that, his mood finally lightening a little.

'Ros, I didn't think you and charm were something that could be put in the same sentence.'

* * *

><p>Ros waited impatiently in the deserted car park. Mace had insisted on choosing the venue and time and he was now...she checked her watch...15 minutes late. She started to worry, thinking maybe they had underestimated him when a car pulled into the space and stopped beside her. She wasted no time in getting in and came face to face with Mace.<p>

'Miss Myers. I must admit I was surprised to hear from you. What can I do for you?'

Ros tried desperately not to show her hatred for this man sitting before her as she began to speak. He made her skin crawl, but she would do what she had to do.

'You've read my file Oliver. You know I was turned by a group named Yalta. This whole thing with Ruth Evershed has made me realise I was right to join them. Thames House is rotten to the core and Harry Pearce is long past it. I...assumed you might know of a similar organisation that could make use of my talents.'

Mace looked Ros up and down slowly, and she had to use all of her willpower not to shiver in disgust.

'Well, I could always make use of someone with your...' Mace looked pointedly at Ros' breasts. '_talents.'_

Realising he wasn't going to make this easy for her, she shifted closer to him on the seat and leaned in to whisper in his ear.

'My full array of talents can be inspected at a later date. What I need first are assurances. I want Harry Pearce's job in exchange for helping you. Can you set him up like you did Ruth Evershed?'

She held her breath as she waited for his response. His next move would make or break their operation. Either he would take the bait and admit to having set up Ruth, or he would realise they were on to him and throw her out of the car or worse, kill her. For good effect, she ran her hand the full length of Mace's thigh while he was thinking. It got her the proper response she was looking for.

'Harry Pearce will be slightly harder to set up than Miss Evershed. Once we have dealt with her, I will come up with a way of...disposing of him. Then you have my word you will be installed as Head of Section D. My contacts in the JIC will be made aware of your co-operation.'

Ros nodded and moved to open the car door, not wanting to spend any longer than was necessary in the vile man's presence. She was almost free when he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back in.

'If I find out you are being dishonest with me Miss Myers, I can subject you to the same treatment Miss Evershed is receiving. Be sure of that.'

Ros wrestled her arm free of his grasp and took a huge risk, slapping Mace hard.

'How dare you question my motives. Get me that position. Soon.'

Mace nodded and she left the cramped confines of the car quickly. Once it was safely out of sight she immediately retrieved the wire from the lining of her jacket and played it back to check it. The quality of the recording was perfect.

* * *

><p>'Harry, I'm surprised to see you. I thought we had burnt our bridges.'<p>

Harry barged past Blake with barely concealed anger, turning once he was inside the house to face him.

'I'll be perfectly honest Nicholas, I can't stand the sight of you. But...I do need your help. As much as it pains me to say it. A drink, perhaps?'

Harry held out the fine bottle of whiskey, knowing Blake would be unable to resist it, coupled with the massaging of his ego. HHe wasn't disappointed when Blake motioned for him to move into the living room. Harry turned his back to the man while he poured the drinks, slipping a small amount of clear liquid into one of the glasses. He passed the poisoned drink to Blake and patiently waited for him to take a sip.

'So Harry...what trouble have you got yourself into now that requires you to swallow your pride and come to me for help?'

The smug look on Blake's face was just asking to be wiped off and Harry had to use all of his willpower not to strike the man. He settled for quiet joy when Blake finally took a large gulp of the drink as he waited for Harry to enlighten him.

'Nicholas, at 3.23am last Tuesday you placed a call from a payphone up the road to the local police station, informing them that a person of interest in a murder investigation, Ruth Evershed, could be found working at Thames House in London. You provided them with her home address, telephone number and passport details. You didn't even attempt to cover your tracks. Did you go to Mace with this or did he come to you? Actually, it doesn't really matter. Because either way, in about 2 minutes you're going to be dead.'

A look of horror passed over Blake's face and Harry took great satisfaction in it. Taking the glass from his now limp hand, Harry began to clean up after himself as Blake began chocking and spluttering.

'I warned you.' Harry's voice was cold and void of emotion. 'I warned you not to threaten the ones I care about. You didn't listen. And now you're going to pay.'

Blake reached for Harry's shoe and he kicked his hand away viciously. Once he was sure all traces of his presence had been erased, he leaned menacingly over Blake's almost lifeless body.

'You are an ugly blotch on the beauty of this universe. The world will be a better place without you.'

As Blake drew his final breath, Harry left his house without a second glance behind him.

* * *

><p>'Ruth.'<p>

Ruth looked up quickly at the sound of her name and was saddened to see Harry standing in the doorway.

'Harry...I told you to stay away from me. I can't...I can't go through with this if I have to see you.'

Harry sat beside Ruth on the sofa and took her hands in his, despite her protests.

'Ruth...you don't have to go through with anything. We got them Ruth, we got them.'

She looked up, hope in her eyes for the first time since the whole ordeal had started.

'You mean...'

'Yes, I mean. I'll fill you in on the details later. But the long and short of it is, the police know you were set up, Mace will be sunning himself in prison for a very long time and Blake...well...'

Harry faltered, not sure if Ruth would approve of his actions. He decided he would be honest with her, knowing she would probably find out eventually anyway.

'...Blake, he had an...unfortunate accident. He won't be bothering anyone ever again.'

The look of fear that crossed Ruth's face at his admission hurt more than he ever thought possible. She snatched her hands away from his so quickly that the ring she was wearing scratched his skin and drew blood.

'No...Harry, you didn't...'

He reached to take her hands again and was heartbroken when she flinched away from his touch.

'Ruth...I did this for you. The man was vile. He was trying to send you to prison. I couldn't lose you again Ruth. Not again.'

Ruth stood up from the sofa, shaking her head and backing away from Harry.

'You killed for me. You _killed_ for me. I don't...I don't know you anymore Harry.'

In one fluid motion Harry rose from the couch and was beside Ruth, grasping her arms tightly in his hands.

'You _do_ know me Ruth, you know all the important things.'

She tried to wriggle free from his grasp but he held her more tightly. Eventually she stopped struggling and looked into his eyes, begging him silently to let her go.

'Please Harry...I just need time to think about all this.'

He reluctantly let her go, brushing his hands softly down her arms and attempting to once again take her hands in his own. She didn't pull away this time, but she didn't embrace the touch either, simply letting her hands lay limply in his own. He watched her for a moment but she refused to meet his gaze. Deciding to leave her be for fear of making things worse, he backed away from her and began to put on his coat. He was halfway out the door when he had one last thought, and turned back to face her.

'I did it because...well, I love you Ruth. I always have.'

When she didn't respond or even look at him, he turned and left, not wanting her to see the tears running down his cheeks.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm so chuffed with all your reviews for this so far. In this chapter, I used my artistic licence to, shall we say, 'bump off' somebody else I never really liked all that much. I hope you like it!**

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><p>'Control, this is Alpha One. We've stopped at a petrol station to refuel. It'll be easier if we take them now while they aren't in the car with me.'<p>

Lucas watched the two men peruse the magazine stand inside the petrol station shop as he spoke, careful to make sure neither of them glanced his way whilst he spoke into his earpiece.

'Negative Alpha One. We need to know who they are working for. Maintain cover and continue on to the destination. We'll take them then. Keep the package safe for the time being.'

Lucas sighed as he listened to Ros' grainy voice in his ear. Sometimes he wished he was in charge. Taking another look inside the station, he saw the two men he was with still laughing over a men's magazine so he prepared to argue his point with Ros. Without warning, the window he was leaning his head on smashed into a thousand pieces and a gloved hand reached into the car, striking him in the face. He was too dazed to do anything except stare helplessly as the same gloved hand then opened the car door from the inside and roughly hauled him out of the driver's seat.

By now he had regained his senses and he rolled over on the hard concrete floor, preparing to strike at whoever was attacking him. He stopped instantly when he came face to face with the barrel of a gun. The man attached to the other end of the gun wore a balaclava and Lucas tried to pick up every detail possible about him and his accomplice. They both spoke in London accents. One had brown eyes, the other blue. Their clothes were dirty, as if they had been living rough. Taking a quick glance inside, he saw his two targets hadn't noticed a thing, and were still poring over the magazines. He just hoped Ros had heard the commotion over the earpiece and was on her way.

The man holding the gun moved suddenly, striking Lucas on the forehead with the butt of his weapon. It gave him the advantage he needed and he dove into the driver's seat, speeding away whilst Lucas was still on the ground clutching his face. The two men he had been undercover with finally noticed something was wrong and came rushing out the shop just as Ros turned the corner, gun raised.

'Stop right there! Security Services.'

The two men looked petrified and Ros wasted no time in handcuffing them and throwing them in the back of the van that Jo had just careered around the corner in. The elder of the two suspects found the courage to speak up, but his voice was shaky with fear.

'What are you doing to us? We've done nothing wrong.'

Ros shared an incredulous look with Lucas before turning back to the men.

'No, of course not. You've just allowed yourself to be car jacked with enough uranium in the boot to wipe out most of central London.'

* * *

><p>'Ruth...hi.'<p>

Harry looked up as Ruth entered his office. It was a testament to how nervous he was that he hadn't made any kind of joke about her lack of knocking. This was the first time he had seen her since she had found out about him murdering Nicholas Blake and they hadn't spoken since. Attempting not to show his nerves, he tried to meet Ruth's gaze but was disappointed when she wouldn't allow it.

'The errr...report on the carjacking Harry. Seems it was just wrong place wrong time. I've included a list of possible suspects based on CCTV around the area at the time, but it's a long list.'

Ruth paused and the silence between them was deafening. Harry tried in vain to think of something to say but he was terrified of making things worse so settled for what he hoped was a pleading look instead. Ruth seemed about to say something when his phone rang and he cursed it for interrupting just when he thought they might get somewhere. Picking it up to stop the noise, he slammed it straight back down again without even placing it to his ear.

'Ruth...'

'I'd...better get back to work Harry.'

Ruth turned to leave and within a second Harry was out of his chair, around his desk and in front of her, blocking her exit from his office.

'We must talk about this Ruth.'

She was shaking, being so close to him. His presence always unnerved her at the best of times but now it was almost unbearable.

'There's nothing to talk about Harry. You murdered a man who has a family.'

Harry grabbed Ruth by the shoulders, turning her and pressing her against the wall. It wasn't the ideal situation in which he had hoped to get her in this position but he supposed it would have to do.

'I did that to save you Ruth. How long do you think it would have been before he came up with another way to destroy us? A month? A year? Did you really want to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life?'

By now Harry's face was mere millimetres away from Ruth's and she could barely concentrate on what he was saying. The temptation to kiss him was overwhelming and she had to keep reminding herself that she was supposed to be mad at him.

'I...I don't know Harry. I just don't know.'

They stayed like that for long tortuous seconds until Harry's grip on Ruth's arms gradually softened and she squeezed out from under him, escaping through his office door without saying another word.

* * *

><p>'Harry, I've got it. I've got the car on CCTV. Software picked up a matching number plate two minutes ago near Hyde Park.'<p>

Harry was beside Jo's desk in seconds, peering over her shoulder as she worked frantically to relocate the car on other CCTV cameras. Without taking his eye off the screen he began to bark out orders.

'Lucas, Ros get down there now and apprehend those daft bastards. Ruth, get on to the local plods, see if they can't pull them over. But for God's sake, don't tell them what's in the boot.'

The entire grid sprang into life at Harry's orders and he vaguely heard the pods opening and closing as Lucas and Ros left. Keeping his eyes still glued to Jo's screen, he could hear Ruth in the background on the phone instructing the police to pull over the vehicle if possible. He just hoped there were no complications.

* * *

><p>'Ros, slow down you're going to get us killed.'<p>

Lucas was hanging on for dear life as Ros swerved to avoid another car, droving down the wrong side of the road. They were lucky it was the middle of the night and there was not much traffic about.

'I'm sorry Lucas, shall we go at a more leisurely pace and just let those common thieves get away with all that uranium?'

Ros didn't take her eyes off the road as she spoke, swerving to avoid another car and taking a small amount of pleasure from the terrified look on Lucas' face. They were gaining on the vehicle, the local police having been left behind long ago. Without warning, the car in front swerved back onto the correct side of the road. They hadn't seen the motor cyclist coming up fast and were heading straight for him. Time moved in slow motion for Ros and in a split second she decided on a course of action. Slamming her foot down on the accelerator, she steered the front of the car straight into their target, slamming into the rear end side on. It sent the other car into a spin, thankfully avoiding the motor cyclist but ending up wrapped around a pole in the middle of the road.

Taking a moment to clear her head, Ros leapt from the car and surveyed the scene. The motor cyclist had already driven off and there were currently no other cars on the road with them. Both occupants in the other car were either unconscious or dead and her eyes travelled to the other end of the vehicle to survey the damage to the boot.

'Oh god.'

Lucas appeared beside her and followed her gaze, a similar expression appearing on his face when he followed Ros' gaze. The boot of the car had been flung open on impact, and the canister containing the uranium was lying crookedly in the confined space, a large tear adorning the whole of one side.

* * *

><p>'Ruth, talk to me. I need positive news.'<p>

Harry approached Ruth's desk looking extremely worse for wear. The news of the car crash had filtered through to them on the grid quickly and Hazmat was already on the scene trying to contain the situation.

'Erm, the errr...affected area has been limited to just a hundred square feet. Both occupants of the vehicle are dead. Internal injuries. Lucas and Ros are being checked out now. Ros' exposure should be relatively mild. But Lucas...Lucas tried to contain the spread of the uranium by closing the boot of the car, so he is a worry. The doctors say...the doctors...'

The emotion became too much for Ruth and she could feel the prickle of tears starting in the corner of her eyes. She didn't want to appear weak before Harry so tried to carry on with her progress report but he was beside her in an instant. His hand covered hers and despite the difficulty between them recently she let him leave it there, the comfort doing her some good. Harry leaned in close in order to whisper in her ear and she appreciated his tact in not announcing her emotional state to the whole grid.

'Ruth, take a few minutes if you need to. Go and get some air.'

His fingers gently stroked the skin on the back of her hand and she found it comforting. Composing herself, she turned to face him, grateful of his presence at that moment.

'The doctors say that he...he may have suffered a lethal dose. They're just waiting for the results of the blood test to come back. But he's already suffering radiation burns.'

The two shared a look, neither ready to admit they were close to losing yet another of their own. Harry's hand was still covering Ruth's, and he continued to stroke her soft skin slowly, encouraged that she hadn't yet pulled away from him. He could see the tears shining in her eyes and it hurt him to know that she was in pain. He felt her hand shift beneath his and felt sadness that the moment had come to an end. He was surprised though when instead of pulling away, Ruth simply turned her hand over and intertwined her fingers with his own. He met her eyes and saw her smile weakly at him. Again he leaned forward so that he could speak to her quietly.

'Ruth?'

She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, looking as if she was deep in thought. He considered that maybe she regretted moving her hand into his and just didn't know how to tell him, until she finally spoke.

'Harry...when this is over do you think maybe we could...talk?'

The look that crossed his face must have been a mixture of confusion and surprise because Ruth laughed when she looked up at him. Glad that he had cheered her for the time being, he nodded and moved back into his office to ring the hospital for an update on Lucas.

* * *

><p>Harry walked down the polished white corridors, passing numerous rows of plastic chairs until he came to the nurse's station on the corner. Armed guards beside the nearest door showed him where he needed to go without having to ask and he flashed his identity card and moved to open the door. The arm of one of the guards shot out and blocked him from moving any further.<p>

'Sorry Sir, contaminated area. Doctors only.'

Harry peered through the window and saw Lucas lying unconscious on the bed, two doctors in full environmental suits working on him. He tried to catch one of their attentions so that he could get an update on Lucas' prognosis, but they were too focussed on their task at hand.

'No. No.' Harry whispered.

The heart monitor beside Lucas' bed had changed from a steady rhythmic beat to a continuous tone and Harry watched on with horror as the two doctors tried in vain to resuscitate his officer. Backing away from the door and shaking his head, Harry slumped to the floor when he felt the hard wall behind him. He felt cold inside as he realised that he had lost yet another officer under his charge.

* * *

><p>It was almost 6am and Harry was due to be on the grid in just over 2 hours but he didn't care. The bottle beside him was almost empty and he brought it to his lips once more, the liquid burning his insides as it made its way down his throat. He had returned from the hospital hours before but had been unable to sleep, images of Lucas constantly running through his head. He had made one phone call; to Ros, to make sure she was OK before opening up his best bottle of malt.<p>

The welcome void of unconsciousness was just within his grasp when he heard knocking at his front door. Fully prepared to ignore it, he tried to block out the noise and went in search of sleep once more. The knocking finally stopped and he was just drifting off when he heard his living room door open. Not even caring if it was friend or foe, he drunkenly offered up the bottle to the intruder.

'Have a drink with me. It bloody helps.'

He heard footsteps coming closer and then the unmistakable voice of an angel close to his ear.

'Harry, this isn't going to help. Come on, let's get you to bed.'

Her soft skin passed over his as she took the bottle from him, his grasp loose. Opening his eyes just a crack, he watched as she removed his shoes, tie and belt and tried to lift him from the chair. She looked as tired as he felt and he figured she must not have been to sleep either after having heard the news about Lucas' death. Deciding to give her a helping hand, he pushed himself up from the chair but his momentum was too great in his drunken state and he began to wobble forwards.

Ruth caught him just in time, their chests pressing forcefully together as she pushed him back into a standing position.

'You know Ruth...you're quite strong.'

Ruth tutted quietly and Harry didn't seem to notice, carrying on with his speech.

'Do you have Weetabix for breakfast? Or...or maybe spinach?'

Harry launched into a rather out of tune rendition of 'Popeye the Sailor Man' and Ruth simply dragged him towards the stairs. He tried to make it difficult for her, struggling out of her grasp. Eventually she reached the end of her tether and turned sharply, slapping him across the face. It seemed to sober him up a little and he stood stock still before her.

'Now you listen here Harry. We're all upset over Lucas' death but this is no way to behave. Now...now get a hold of yourself for Christ's sake.'

Harry nodded sombrely and followed Ruth up the stairs without another word. She helped him into bed and was half way out the door when she heard him speak tiredly.

'I never meant to hut you Ruth. I love you, more than you'll ever know. I'll die before I lose you again.'

She watched as he wriggled about in the bed trying to get comfortable and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Making a decision there and then, she stepped back into the room and lay down beside Harry on the bed.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm not sure I'm entirely happy with this chapter but I thought I'd post it anyway as I don't like to keep you guys waiting. I'm hoping the HR scenes make up for the rest of it! Also, I'm no expert on the channel tunnel, I've never been there, so apologies if anything's out of place with that.**

* * *

><p>Harry felt the beginnings of a monstrous headache and refused to open his eyes. His mouth was dry and his lips cracked and sore. It had been a fair few years since he had had a hangover and he hadn't missed them one little bit. As he became fully awake he was aware of a heavy weight on his chest and warily he lifted his arm to swat it away.<p>

'Down Scarlett.'

His voice was hoarse when he spoke and the mere movement of his arm made him want to vomit. He stopped short when his hand came into contact with soft skin rather than his loyal canine as expected. Taking his time he slowly opened his eyes, squinting against the harsh sunlight and looked down at his chest. There was a hand resting softly on his shirt clad chest. The hand was attached to an arm and he followed the arm until he reached a body, knowing already who it was he was going to find in his bed.

Ruth was still sleeping and he studied her face closely, noticing the dried tear stains on her cheeks. The events of the previous day started coming back to him as he lay watching her sleeping. His chest tightened when he thought about the loss of Lucas. Bizarrely, his first thought was that he would have been disappointed that Harry hadn't chosen to drown his sorrows with vodka rather than whiskey. The guilt started coming then, thick and fast. Had it been his fault Lucas was now dead? Of course it was. Every officer that he had lost since becoming Head of Section D was his fault. He was so consumed by guilt that he hadn't noticed Ruth stirring beside him.

'I know what you're thinking. It's not your fault.'

He jumped at the sound of her voice having not even been aware of her movement. He turned to face her and was stunned by the intensity of her look.

'Ruth, I...'

'Sssshhhh.'

Ruth leaned forward and pressed her finger to Harry's mouth to quiet him. The softness of her skin against his sore lips was torture and the temptation to lean into the touch was overwhelming. Although he had woken up to find her in his bed, they were both still fully clothed and he vaguely remembered her slapping him last night so he was unsure where he stood with her. A fragment of memory from last night suddenly came screaming back to him and he looked worriedly at Ruth.

'Ruth...did I...did I _sing_ to you last night?'

Thankfully Ruth giggled, and to his delight she shifted slightly closer to him.

'Popeye the Sailor Man, Harry. It was an...interesting rendition.'

Harry blushed and Ruth thought it was quite adorable. Nervously she reached out and tangled her little finger with Harry's. At his questioning gaze, she took a deep breath and tried to explain herself.

'Listen Harry, um, when I said I didn't know you anymore, I um...'

'You don't have to explain yourself Ruth. I deserve your anger.'

Ruth tugged gently on Harry's finger with her own. When he didn't get the hint she picked up his hand and placed it on her hip, snuggling closer to him under the duvet.

'I shouldn't have said those horrible things. I know you were only trying to protect me. Thank you Harry. I feel bad saying this after what happened yesterday but, do you think we could have that third date sometime soon?'

Harry squeezed Ruth's hip gently through the material of her skirt and leaned forward to kiss her slowly. She began to respond to him when he pulled back abruptly.

'I must have the worst breath known to man. Let me go and brush my teeth.'

He swung his legs out of the side of the bed and sat patiently until the nausea passed. Half way to the bathroom he heard the words he never thought he would hear in his life.

'Oh and Harry? I love you too.'

* * *

><p>Ros stared at her reflection in the mirror and watched as the tears rolled down her cheeks.<p>

'It should have been me.' She whispered to herself.

The door to the bathroom swung open and Jo walked in, stopping dead when she saw the other occupant. Ros wiped her tears away quickly, angry that she had been seen at such an emotionally weak moment.

'Are you alright Ros?' Jo asked.

'Yes. Fine. Let's get this over with shall we?'

Jo watched Ros as she left the bathroom, unsure if she should say anything else and not really knowing what she could say anyway. Following the older woman out onto the grid she saw the rest of the team waiting for them. It was proof of the dangerous nature of their job that she had seen her co-workers in black funeral attire more often than she had seen them in their casual wear outside of work. They left the grid together to say goodbye to their friend at the memorial Harry had hastily arranged. Jo thought it was too quick, but the nature of their job meant they had to do it as soon as possible. Who knew when they might get another chance?

* * *

><p>The team returned to the grid two hours later and stood awkwardly by the pods, nobody really knowing what to say. Some of them were used to the routine by now, others not. But despite how long any of them had worked there, it never got any easier to lose a colleague. Tariq was the first to speak, attempting to lighten the mood.<p>

'So, am I the hunk of the group now then?'

He waited nervously for any kind of reaction, hoping he hadn't gone too far too soon. A whisper of a smile tugged at the corner of Jo's mouth and he knew his joke had been well received. He was about to make another when a flashing alert on Ros' screen distracted them all. As one, they moved to her desk and watched anxiously as Ros's fingers moved expertly over the keyboard.

'It's a red flash from 6. A known terror suspect is en route to the UK via the Eurotunnel as we speak. Intelligence has him in possession of a dirty bomb but French authorities wouldn't let them lift him.'

Harry and Ruth exchanged glances and she moved immediately to her desk to begin liaising with their MI6 contact in France. He turned back to Ros to issue her orders but she was already standing with her jacket half on.

'This isn't going to happen again Harry. Nuclear material on our soil is unacceptable. I'm going after the bastard.'

'Ros wait...' Harry called after her.

She ignored him and he watched helplessly as she left the grid without a second glance back.

* * *

><p>Harry had been shut away in his office with the blinds closed for twenty minutes now without any word from him and Ruth was beginning to get worried. It was unlike him to shut himself off from the rest of the team for so long during a crisis. She approached warily and even took the time to knock, waiting until she heard the faint 'Come' before entering. He was pacing back and forth, his brow furrowed and a glass of whiskey in his hand.<p>

'How can you stomach that after the amount you had last night?'

He stopped pacing and turned to face her, the worry and anger fading away immediately when his eyes met hers. She approached carefully, letting their fingers touch when she took the glass from his hand. Guiding him over to the sofa, she began massaging his shoulders, pleased with herself when he let out a pleasured groan form her ministrations. Her hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they gradually found their way further and further forward until they were caressing Harry's collar bones. She reached around him and loosened his tie, taking note of his heavy breathing. When she leaned forward to whisper in his ear and he felt her hot breath on his skin it was the last straw for him, and he turned quickly to capture her lips in his own.

The kiss was frantic and passionate; hands roaming all over the place and clothing becoming dislodged. It was only when Harry found himself laid on top of Ruth, his arousal pressing into her thigh that he realised they were getting carried away. Reluctantly he climbed off her and they sat beside each other in silence while their breathing returned to normal. It was Ruth that spoke first.

'Well, that was...unexpected.'

Harry chuckled and kissed Ruth once more before moving to the chair behind his desk. She was too much of a distraction when she was that close.

'You've certainly gotten rid of my anger. Perhaps we should continue that when the fate of this country doesn't rely upon us. Do you have an update for me?'

Ruth stood and smoothed down her clothes to make herself look presentable. When she left Harry's office she didn't want the rest of the grid to know she had just been fooling around with the boss on his sofa.

'I'll go and get one for you now. And Harry, you've got lipstick on your cheek.'

Ruth left the confines of Harry's office as he frantically rubbed at his cheek to rid himself of the offending stain.

* * *

><p>Ros drove quickly but safely, her grip on the steering wheel like iron. The last time she had driven a car she had...<em>No, don't think about it.<em> She felt the anger and guilt rise up inside her once more, tears threatening to fall. Thankfully, she pulled into the Eurotunnel car park at that very moment and it saved her from having to think about Lucas. Without pausing for breath she threw herself from the car and towards the arrivals area. She had memorised the face of the suspect and it didn't take her long to spot him in the crowd. Blending in, she manoeuvred herself so that she was directly behind him and discreetly took her weapon out, shoving it sharply into his back. She twisted his wrist quickly, hearing the satisfying crunch of bones breaking and pulled him into a deserted alleyway. Shoving him against the wall she trained her gun on him whilst she searched his bag. He looked guilty as hell and she wasn't disappointed when she found the device inside the backpack. Luckily, it wasn't armed so she radioed in for the bomb squad before advancing menacingly on the young man.

'I lost a colleague yesterday. It was my fault really. I think I've taken it rather badly. I might be looking for something...no...some_one_ to take my anger out on.'

The man looked terrified as Ros raised her weapon, but she didn't shoot. Instead she brought it down hard on his face over and over again until his screams had died out. Tears streaming down her face, she began kicking and punching his limp body until the faint sound of a truck arriving could be heard. Wiping her face, she cuffed the suspect just as the bomb squad came running round the corner. They looked in shock between Ros and the bloodied and broken face of the suspect.

'The bomb's in that bag. He resisted.'

Without another word she returned to her car and started the engine. She sat there not moving for over five minutes as the sobs wracked her body.

* * *

><p>The two men waited patiently as a third spoke in Arabic on the phone. When he hung up, they waited expectantly for his information.<p>

'The decoy was apprehended as expected. You are clear to cross. Complete your mission.'


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Once again, I'm no expert on the channel tunnel, so apologies for any innaccuracies there. This chapter is light on HR, but I promise the next one will make up for that!**

* * *

><p>Ros noticed a member of the bomb squad running towards her car and quickly wiped away her tears as her sobs subsided. She stepped back out of the car just as he came skidding to a halt before her.<p>

'The bomb's not real. It's a fake.'

Cocking her head slightly, Ros thought she must have looked as confused as she felt because the officer continued his explanation.

'All the components are there, but the trigger mechanism wasn't connected to the explosive.'

Ros nodded to the man in thanks and watched as he ran back towards the hubbub of flashing lights, waiting until he was out of earshot before grabbing her phone and ringing Harry.

'Harry, the bomb's a fake. The suspect isn't talking either.'

She nodded along as she listened to Harry giving her orders over the phone. He wanted her back on the grid as soon as possible and she didn't disagree. They needed to figure out why a man had let himself get caught coming into the country with a bomb that had never intended to be detonated.

* * *

><p>Asad waited nervously as the customs officer checked his ticket and passport. Looking across at Jawid he saw him moving through without problems, the picture of calm. He wondered how on earth his friend could act so normal and relaxed when they were about to enter paradise. Taking his passport back he joined Jawid and they boarded the train together. Jawid spoke quietly so as not to alert the other passengers.<p>

'You must calm down my friend or we will be noticed. The authorities will have apprehended the decoy by now. We must not appear out of place just in case they are watching.'

Asad nodded and clutched his backpack closer to his chest. He retrieved his mp3 player from his coat pocket and closed his eyes as the music began to play. If he was going to die today, he wanted to hear his favourite song one last time.

* * *

><p>Ruth watched as Ros stalked back onto the grid and went straight for Harry's office. Knocking briefly she entered to find him trawling through CCTV images of the French Eurotunnel station.<p>

'Special Branch say our terror suspect has a broken jaw. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?'

Ros sighed and perched on the edge of Harry's sofa, uncomfortable at the direction this conversation was about to take.

'He resisted.'

Harry tore his eyes away from his computer screen and looked at Ros for the first time since she had entered his office. She looked tired and he could tell she had been crying. Knowing he wasn't likely to get any sort of admission from her he ploughed on anyway.

'Ros, I know you feel upset, angry, guilty. I do too. But Lucas wouldn't have wanted you to...'

Her head shot up at the mention of Lucas and she interrupted Harry sharply, anger evident in her voice.

'You don't know _what_ Lucas would have wanted. None of us do, because he's dead. And I don't do emotional weakness. I'm fine. Thanks for the concern.'

Without waiting for a reply she stood and left his office, not even bothering to close the door behind her. Harry sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. One day, he would get through to her. He was interrupted in his musings by Ruth hurtling into his office at breakneck speed, loose pieces of paper fluttering to the ground from the files she was carrying.

'Harry, he was a decoy.' She said breathlessly.

'A what?' Harry inquired, rather confused.

Ruth dropped her files on Harry's desk and bent over to retrieve the papers she had dropped on the floor. Harry shamelessly took a moment to admire the view before moving to help her. Once they were all collected Ruth took a deep breath and began to explain.

'It's a technique used by AQ last year in the Barcelona bombing. They sent ahead a decoy bomber to distract the authorities and use up their resources. While everybody was concentrating on him, the real bomber slipped through unnoticed and got into the city. By the time they realised it was too late. This has to be what they are doing now. There's no other explanation for sending a man with a bomb that doesn't work.'

She waited patiently as Harry digested the information. The look on his face suggested he wasn't quite ready to believe her so she started to fan out the files she had brought in with her.

'Look. This man, the man we apprehended, he was there. In Barcelona on the day of the bombing. And again here, in Afghanistan with known AQ members. I checked with Eurostar. The last train to leave France departed 10 minutes after we apprehended this suspect. The real bomber will be on it. You must get them to stop the train.'

Harry looked over the pictures and turned to Ruth. He found her so incredibly attractive when she got so excited over her work and the temptation to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless was almost irresistible. As it was, he settled for placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing gently.

'Ruth, thorough as your evidence is, it's not enough. I can't halt a train hundreds of feet under the ocean based on a hunch. We need more information. Get Jo to go to the...'

Ruth angrily shook off his hand and stepped away from him, her voice raising slightly in the process.

'Dammit Harry this is not a guess! When am I ever wrong? I mean, not to blow my own trumpet, but when? If you ever needed to trust me on something then this is it.'

The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife as they stared into each other's eyes, neither willing to back down. Eventually Harry conceded, knowing what Ruth had said was true; she was never wrong.

'Alright, call a meeting. I want everyone in the briefing room in 5 minutes.'

He began to move away from her but she caught his arm as he passed her. Reaching up, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

'Thank you.'

* * *

><p>Jo and Ros sat side by side on the train in an awkward silence, neither really knowing what to say. After the incident in the bathroom on the day of Lucas' memorial, Jo knew it was futile to try and get Ros to talk about anything remotely personal. Sighing, she fiddled with the hem of her jacket and was relieved to hear Ruth's voice in her ear a moment later.<p>

'Alpha One and Two, please confirm you are in position.'

'Confirmed control. Ready to go.' Ros spoke quietly.

'The train will slow to a stop in 1 minute. They will time it so that you are directly alongside the target train. The driver will announce a blockage on track, but if the suspects have their wits about them, they'll know we are on to them so you'll have to move quickly. You'll have 30 seconds to cross from your train to theirs, so don't hang about. Good luck.'

'Understood.'

The two women sat in further silence until they felt the train coming to a halt. Moving to the rear, Jo watched as Ros smashed one the windows and reached out to do the same to the other train. Luckily, both carriages were deserted and they were able to switch without anybody noticing. Once safely inside the second train they waited until it was back up to speed before moving along.

* * *

><p>'This is your driver speaking. We are momentarily coming to a stop due to a blockage on the line. This will be cleared up and we'll be on our way again as soon as possible. There is no need for concern. Thank you.'<p>

Jawid tensed as he listened to the driver's announcement. He grabbed his bag from the overhead locker and motioned for a confused Asad to do the same.

'It's just a blockage Jawid, what's the problem?'

Grabbing Asad by the lapels of his coat he roughly pulled him close as he whispered harshly.

'There is no blockage. They are on to us. We will not make it to England. We must adapt our mission. Come with me.'

Asad looked unsure but complied anyway. Grabbing his bag, he followed Jawid down the carriage and into the bathroom. Locking the door, Jawid slowly unzipped his bag and lifted the device out. He motioned for Asad to hurry up and he repeated the action, taking a detonator out of his own bag. Jawid attached the detonator to the bomb and set it for 15 minutes.

'We will feel no pain. We will be in paradise before we know it. Now, let us pray.'

* * *

><p>Jo hurriedly followed Ros as she moved from one carriage to another. They had inspected the whole train and there was no sign of anybody related to AQ. Ros had discreetly taken pictures of the passengers and forwarded them to Ruth who had run them through the facial recog software. The biggest criminal they had on their hands was a man with 13 outstanding parking tickets.<p>

'Maybe they caught a different train. Or maybe Ruth was wrong.'

Jo hated even thinking it, knowing her friend could hear her over the comms, but it had to be a possibility since they could find no viable suspect.

'Ruth is never wrong.' Ros stated matter of factly.

They were walking back through the train to take one last look when Jo stopped abruptly, causing Ros to bump into her from behind.

'The toilet. It was locked the first time we walked past too.'

Ros took one look at the door and drew her weapon. Motioning to Jo to do the same, they silently positioned themselves outside the door. With a swift kick, Ros demolished the lock and the two spooks pushed their way in to the cramped bathroom, weapons raised. The first thing Ros noticed was the bomb on the floor, the second was the man reaching over to manually detonate it. Without a second thought she aimed and shot him twice, watching as he fell limply to the floor. Jo had secured the other man and she knelt before him, taking in his terrified demeanour.

'How do you disarm this?'

She motioned to the bomb, taking note of the detonator as it ticked below five minutes.

'I...I don't know. Jawid made it. I was just here because authorities are more suspicious of people travelling alone. Please, I swear.'

He struggled against Jo and she struck him on the head with her gun knocking him out cold. The two of them turned to face the bomb simultaneously, a look of worry on their faces.

'We're going to need Tariq.'

* * *

><p>'OK, there should be a small metal casing underneath the timer. Remove it.'<p>

Tariq's sure and steady voice did little to settle Ros' nerves as she removed said casing, trying to stop her hands from shaking at the same time.

'Done.'

'Right, how many wires are there and what colour are they?'

Ros reached in gently with one finger and pulled out the coil of wires connecting the detonator to the explosive.

'Tariq, there's four but they are all the same colour; red.'

She heard Tariq curse softly and then there was silence. As the clock ticked down to 59 seconds she began to panic.

'Tariq, I've got less than a minute until the entire ocean comes down on top of me. Now I'm not a big swimmer, so sometime soon would be nice.'

Holding the wire cutters ready, she listened intently as Tariq's voice filtered through to her again, albeit sounding a lot more nervous than he previously had.

'OK, they've recoated the wires so we can't see which one to cut. You're going to have to guess. Three of them will disarm the bomb, one will detonate it. You've got a 75% chance of success.'

'Yes thank you Tariq, my maths is satisfactory.'

Even under such extreme pressure Ros was still her usual sarcastic self and that served to comfort Jo somewhat. She watched with a growing feeling of dread in her stomach as the timer ticked down to 15 seconds and still Ros had not chosen a wire.

'Ros...' She began, panic evident in her voice.

Ros ignored her and made her decision. Leaning forward she cut one of the wires decisively, closing her eyes as she did it. When the beeping stopped and she realised she hadn't been vaporised by the blast she opened her eyes and let out a huge sigh of relief. She looked over at Jo and saw her do the same, the two women sharing a smile. It was the first time Jo had ever seen Ros smile, and she thought it rather suited her. They sank to the floor beside each other, exhausted, and waited for the train to take them back to England.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: This is slightly shorter than previous chapters, but it is pure HR fluff – no plot in this one! To make up for the lack of HR in the last chapter!**

* * *

><p>Ruth was working on the weekly terror threat report when she felt rather than heard somebody move behind her. She assumed it was Jo or Ros going to get a cup of tea and was too engrossed in what she was doing to bother turning to look. It was only when she realised whoever it was had stopped a few feet behind her chair that she began to pay particular attention to the presence. The person didn't speak and just appeared to be watching her. Taking a surreptitious glance in the reflection of her computer screen, she sighed and stopped typing.<p>

'What is it Harry?'

She turned to face him after she had spoken and he seemed startled that she had known it was him before looking. At his increasingly confused frown she motioned to her screen which was now behind her.

'I could see your reflection in the monitor. You must be losing your touch.'

Smiling to let him know she was joking, she rose from her chair and stood close to him, taking in a deep breath of his aftershave. A quick glance around told her that indeed Ros and Jo had gone for a drink and they were currently alone on the grid. Quickly she leaned up and pecked Harry on the lips, resting her hands on his strong shoulders. She moved in for another quick kiss but he pulled away.

'Don't...or I might have to have you right now on your desk.'

The comment made Ruth blush profusely, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of tomato red. Harry chuckled at the effect he had on her, enjoying teasing her. The truth was, they hadn't slept together yet, both agreeing to take it slow after the hiccup Ruth now liked to refer to as 'The Blake Affair'. Their evenings had become progressively heated and Harry thought it was only a matter of time before Ruth was ready to go the whole way. He didn't want to push her though, so would wait for her to make the first move. Remembering that he had come over to her desk for a reason, he cleared thoughts of a half naked Ruth out of his head with great difficulty and brought himself back to the present.

'I'd like to take you out tonight, if that's alright with you.'

It was at that very moment that Ros decided to make an appearance back on the grid, cup of tea in one hand and packet of hob nobs in the other. Without even glancing up or missing a beat, she seated herself at her desk and spoke in her usual sarcastic manner.

'Not with a rifle I hope.'

Ruth looked mortified, and her embarrassment was only made worse when she looked at Harry and he appeared to be having great difficulty holding in his laughter. Giving Ros a stare that would have made any other human being wither and die, she grabbed Harry by the arm and dragged him into his office.

'Harry, I thought we agreed to keep this secret for now! Now Ros knows and she'll...she'll tell everybody!'

Ruth was pacing back and forth, waving her arms animatedly in the air for effect so Harry took her in his arms and kissed her soundly to quieten her.

'Ruth, Ros is hardly the gossip of the town, I'm sure she won't say anything. Besides, you haven't given me an answer yet, you could still say no.'

Looking over at Harry, Ruth knew there was no chance of that happening. His tie was loosened, hair slightly ruffled and he wore a cheeky grin on his face. Saying no to that man was an impossible task. She calmed down somewhat and leaned into his offered embrace, resting her head against his chest and feeling comforted by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat.

'Of course I'll go out with you Harry. Where are you taking me?'

'That, my dear, is a secret.'

* * *

><p>Ruth stood frozen to the spot and stared in horror at the items Harry held in his hands. It had taken him long enough to cajole her into entering the building, with a promise of a free drink and nothing more. Then she had made the mistake of going to the toilet and when she had returned he had been holding <em>those<em> things in his hands.

'No way Harry. No. Way. Nuh-uh. Find somebody else.'

Harry looked momentarily worried but a grin soon appeared on his face as he placed the items on the bench beside him and scooted closer to Ruth.

'Come on Ruth. Please, for me? You only have to do it once and if you don't like it we can go. What's the worst that could happen?'

Ruth leaned back from Harry out of his embrace, a look of pure horror on her face.

'What could happen? What could _happen?_ Only that I could embarrass myself beyond all repair, that's what.'

Harry laughed out loud then, unable to keep his amusement at Ruth's horror hidden any longer. Picking up the first of the items he had retrieved for her, he held them out and waited patiently until she reluctantly took them.

'Put the shoes on Ruth, we are having a game of bowling whether you like it or not.'

* * *

><p>'Yes! Strike!'<p>

Harry watched glumly as Ruth scored her third strike in a row, jumping from foot to foot in excitement. She ran back to him and flung her arms around him.

'Thank you for bringing me here Harry, I don't know why I was ever so worried. Three strikes now. What is that called? A...a chicken?'

Harry laughed and pulled Ruth back to him as she leaned over for a new ball. Kissing the back of her neck softly, he whispered in her ear.

'It's a turkey, sweetheart. And if I had known you were this talented I would have saved my male pride and taken you for dinner instead.'

Slapping his arm playfully, she struggled out of his embrace and grabbed another ball.

* * *

><p>They had reached Ruth's door in no time at all; Harry insisting on walking her home before calling a taxi for himself. He kissed her goodnight and started to walk back down the steps when he felt a hand grab his arm and pull him back round.<p>

'I...don't want you to go Harry. Will you stay with me tonight?'

Harry suddenly found his throat extremely dry and had difficulty putting words into any sort of order that made sense. He settled for a nod of his head and followed Ruth eagerly as she unlocked her front door and made her way into the hall. She took his coat from him and he stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do next. Thankfully, Ruth seemed calm enough for the both of them as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him forcefully. Reluctantly, he pulled back briefly to make sure it wasn't the alcohol doing the talking. She seemed to sense his worry from his questioning gaze and moved quickly to reassure him.

'I want this Harry. I've wanted it for a long time. Let's go upstairs.'

She pulled him backwards by his neck, their lips once again joined and eyes closed. Going by memory, she backed them up to the stairs and didn't even make it past the first one before falling backwards clumsily, taking Harry with her. They both laughed at their predicament as Harry stood and held out his hand for Ruth.

'Perhaps we climb the stairs the old fashioned way...to avoid any injury?'

Ruth nodded, taking his hand and following him up the stairs. Within a second of them entering her bedroom her lips were on his again and she kicked the door closed behind her, vaguely aware that Fidget had been lurking in the kitchen when they returned home and not wanting him to interrupt at the most inopportune time. All thoughts of Fidget however flew out her mind when Harry picked her up and placed her on the bed, covering her body with his own. It was hours later when they finally surrendered to sleep, wrapped safely in each other's arms.


	10. Chapter 10

Harry awoke first, enjoying the feeling of having Ruth wrapped securely in his arms. He tightened his grip on her as she shifted in her sleep and placed a loving kiss on her forehead. She opened her eyes then, smiling up at him as she remembered the events of the previous night.

'Good morning.' She muttered sleepily.

'Yes, it is.' Harry replied.

They kissed slowly as the last remnants of sleep left them. Ruth had just let her fingertips slide over Harry's hip bone when an incessant beeping started from the corner of the room. Knowing what it meant, Harry sighed and flopped back onto the back with a frustrated growl. Ruth wrapped a sheet around herself and retrieved Harry's pager from his trouser pocket, snagging her own from the chest of drawers on the way as it had started beeping a few seconds after Harry's.

'Red Flash from Ros. We have to get to the grid.'

Ruth moved quickly around her room trying to find a change of clothes. Harry enjoyed the view from his position on the bed before moving to put on his own clothes, which caused Ruth to pause with one leg half in her skirt to look at him incredulously.

'What are you doing? You can't wear yesterday's clothes and turn up with me! People will talk.'

'Well, unless you have a particularly nice skirt that you think will go with this tie I'm going to have to Ruth. It'll take me too long to go home and change.'

Ruth stood staring at him in silence and for one horrifying moment he thought she was mentally going through her wardrobe to decide if in fact she did own a skirt that went with his tie. Eventually she shook her head and pointed her bra at him menacingly.

'If people talk, you can deal with it.'

Harry smiled and pecked Ruth on the lips before retrieving the rest of his clothes. Today was going to be an interesting day indeed.

* * *

><p>Harry and Ruth rushed through the pods to be greeted by a flurry of activity. Thankful that nobody seemed to have noticed them appearing together, Harry rushed off into his office muttering something about a spare shirt and Ruth quickly logged on to her computer. She saw Ros approaching out of the corner of her eye and steeled herself for whatever sarcasm might be directed her way. She wasn't disappointed.<p>

'Good night last night?' Ros began, continuing without giving Ruth a chance to answer. 'Only I've just seen Harry diving into his office in yesterday's clothes. His shirt was rather creased. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?'

Ruth had turned a rather delightful shade of beetroot and was stuttering over her words, unable to formulate any kind of intelligent sentence. Ros noticed her struggling and decided to take pity on her, her sensitive side making a rare appearance.

'Ruth...I'm kidding. Don't worry so much. I'm happy for you. Whatever is good for Harry is good for me. Makes my job a lot easier.'

Ruth was so shocked at Ros' apparent thawing out that she didn't quite know what to say, merely watching dumbly as her section chief motioned towards the briefing room before turning away. Harry chose that moment to approach Ruth's desk and was intrigued by the wondrous look on her face.

'She just...I mean...did that just happen?'

Harry chuckled and squeezed Ruth's shoulder gently.

'Did what just happen sweetheart?'

Ruth simply pointed between the now empty spot where Ros had been stood only moments before and herself, helplessly gesticulating to a clueless Harry.

'She...she...she showed _emotions._ She said she was _happy_ for us for crying out loud!'

At this Harry let out a full bellied laugh, causing the junior officers at the next station to look at him strangely. Leaning over Ruth's desk so he could speak quietly, he lowered his voice to a whisper.

'It has been known to happen on occasion. Now come on, they're waiting for us.'

* * *

><p>'No, absolutely not.'<p>

'But Harry...' Ros tried.

'NO! Didn't you hear me the first time?'

'Don't I get a say in this?' Ruth asked.

'NO!' Both Harry and Ros shouted together and Ruth slumped down in her chair, miserable that they were all talking about her as if she wasn't there.

'Harry, be reasonable. Ruth is the only one who can...' Ros attempted to explain her reasoning once again.

'I said no! I don't care if Ruth is the only one who can turn water into wine. She is NOT going on this operation. She is not a trained field officer.'

The whole room descended into silence, nobody brave enough to speak when Harry was in such a temper. Ruth could tell how angry he was by the way he was tapping his pen incessantly on the edge of the table. The noise was driving her crazy, as well as Tariq apparently, who finally deemed enough time had passed for somebody to safely speak.

'Well maybe we could rig an ear piece to automatically translate the Mandarin for whoever we do send on this mission.'

The whole room turned to stare at him at his suggestion, some nodding their heads thoughtfully as if they thought it could work. Harry clearly had other ideas.

'Mr Masood. A man from the Chinese embassy has contacted us regarding a possible assassination plot against the Home Secretary on our soil involving the Chinese government. He does not speak English. Do you think he is going to hang around while whomever we send in there waits for some ridiculous piece of technology to translate his every word?'

'It was just a...' Tariq began his sentence confidently, fully prepared to defend his idea, but the look Harry shot him caused him to tail off, the last word coming out a shaky whisper. '...suggestion.'

The room fell into silence again and it was only when Harry began to tap his pen once more that Ruth finally had enough. She stood quickly, causing her chair to fall backwards.

'I'll do it.'

'No, it's too...' Harry dismissed her with a wave of his hand but was shocked when she raised her voice to interrupt him.

'Too what Harry? Dangerous? Because Ros and Jo don't face danger whenever they step out of those pods? Because Lucas didn't face danger when he exposed himself to that uranium? All I have to do is meet this man and get him to talk. I could just as likely get knocked down by a bus tomorrow. I want to do this.'

The rest of the room waited with held breaths to see how Harry would react to Ruth's outburst. The tension was so thick it could have been cut with a knife. Ruth was leant over the table, hands spread, staring down Harry. She knew this was a fight she was going to win, and she didn't have to wait long to be proved right.

'Fine. But Ros and Jo are no more than 100 metres away at any given time. And I want status updates every minute. Begin.'

* * *

><p>Ruth was waiting nervously by the pods when Harry approached her. He looked as scared as she felt. Despite Ros' assurance that she would be with her in less than 10 seconds should anything go wrong, she knew a lot could happen in 10 seconds. With shaking hands she reached up and straightened Harry's tie.<p>

'I'll be back before you know it. Thank you for letting me do this.'

Harry stilled Ruth's fiddling hands by covering them with his own and kissing each fingertip tenderly. He didn't care if anybody saw them, and he hoped Ruth was getting used to the idea of people knowing about them too. When she didn't pull her hands away from his lips he was overjoyed.

'I didn't really have a choice did I? Just come back to me safely.'

To his surprise, Ruth then leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, not even looking around to see who might be watching. Harry could see Tariq over Ruth's shoulder pretending to be working but watching them surreptitiously and he made a mental note to have a word with him at a later date.

'I promise. I love you Harry.'

'I love you too.'

* * *

><p>'OK Alpha One, target is arriving through the rear car park now. He should be with you in less than a minute. He appears to be alone but don't take any chances. First sign of trouble, leg it.'<p>

Ruth was comforted by the sound of Jo's voice in her ear and she relaxed slightly into the bench she was currently seated at. Looking around, she realised there was nobody else in the deserted park. Later on, she would come to realise this should have been her first clue that something was seriously amiss. As it was, she took one last glance at the building across the street where she knew Ros and Jo were hiding and waited patiently as a young Chinese man sat himself next to her and began to speak in Mandarin.

'You came alone?'

'Yes.' She replied.

* * *

><p>'Ros, I said give me an update...now.'<p>

Harry tried not to grind his teeth as he waited impatiently for a reply from Ros. Tariq tried to ignore Harry's constant pacing back and forth but almost wished for him to carry on when he reached over his shoulder without warning to check CCTV on the monitors. They hadn't been able to see the actual meeting point, but they had views of all roads leading to and from the location.

'Relax Harry, they're just talking. Nothing out of the...shit! Jo!'

Harry froze as the line went dead, before barging Tariq out of the way to frantically check the screens for any sign of trouble.

'Ros! Ros what's wrong! Talk to me for crying out loud!'

* * *

><p>'Relax Harry, they're just talking. Nothing out of the...shit! Jo!'<p>

Ros sprinted across the street and leapt the fence without breaking stride, Jo not far behind her. Both women had their weapons drawn as they cautiously approached the now empty bench where Ruth had been sat only a few moments before. The meet had been going fine until without warning the Chinese contact had whipped out a black hood and placed it over a struggling Ruth's head. Armed guards had appeared from nowhere and dragged her quickly behind a large bush at the far end of the park.

Ros approached the bush from one side and motioned for Jo to take the other. At the same time, they ran around the back only to find each other. There was no sign of Ruth or any Chinese men. The only sign of any struggle whatsoever was Ruth's earpiece lying broken in the grass. Ros looked at Jo and for the first time in a long time she was scared. Pressing her finger to her ear she prepared to give the bad news.

'Harry, I'm so sorry. There was nothing we could do. They've taken her. They've taken Ruth.'

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: When I started writing this chapter, I fully intended to make it fluffy in the end to appease all you lovely reviewers who were so upset by the previous chapter. But...all I can say is, I am SO sorry! Also, apologies for Harry's use of the F word in this chapter :)**

* * *

><p>Ruth was scared. She was tired and cold and her entire body ached. Her wrists and ankles had been bound painfully tight to the hard plastic chair they had placed her in and the black hood was still over her head so she had no idea where she was. Her only hope was that Ros and Jo had been able to track her somehow. Thinking of Ros and Jo inevitably drew her thoughts towards Harry and she swallowed the lump that formed in her throat immediately. It wouldn't do her any good getting upset in her current predicament. She needed to keep a clear head if she was going to get out of this alive. Suddenly without warning the hood was wrenched from her head and Ruth had to close her eyes against the bright light being shone directly at her.<p>

'Wh...who's th...ahhhh!'

Part way through her sentence a hand appeared from behind the light and struck Ruth violently across the face. She felt blood seeping from her lip into her mouth and she spat it out onto the floor.

'You only speak when spoken to. Nod if you understand.'

Ruth tried to peer past the light but it was too bright and looking at it for more than a few seconds hurt her eyes. The man had spoken in a Chinese accent so she assumed her kidnap had something to do with the meet earlier on in the day. At least, she assumed it was still earlier that day. Having had a hood over her head since she was taken, she had lost all sense of time. It could have been the next day by now for all she knew. The hand striking her again brought her back to the present with a bang and she nodded her head quickly to avoid any further pain.

'You are Ruth Evershed, Senior Analyst of Section D, MI5, yes?'

Ruth hesitated for a second, unsure if she should nod her head or not, before realising that the man's tone of voice suggested he already knew this information anyway. She nodded her head in agreement with his question and flinched away involuntarily when the man leaned forward and came into view from behind the light.

'My name is Mr Chang. You will do a job for me. Or you will die.'

* * *

><p>'Unacceptable. UNACCEPTABLE. How could you let them take her! Fucking hell Ros!'<p>

Ros sat calmly in the chair opposite Harry, as if he was merely reciting the weather report to her rather than ranting and raving over the massive failure of their mission.

'Harry, we had no way of knowing that they would...'

'I don't care! I told you I didn't want her doing this. It was your idea. I am holding you personally responsible if anything happens to her.'

Ros took a sip of whiskey and watched as Harry paced back and forth impatiently behind his desk. She had never seen him this angry in the entire time she had been working with him. But then she wasn't surprised. This was Ruth after all.

'I can live with that Harry. Now are you quite done? Only I think my time would be best served trying to find Ruth rather than sitting here being your verbal punching bag.'

Harry shot Ros a death glare at her comments but she stared right back at him defiantly. The office fell silent as Harry contemplated his next move. Deciding he was too tired to continue the argument he swivelled his chair away from Ros and focussed on his computer. Taking it as her cue to leave, Ros stood and left without another word.

* * *

><p>'So Miss Evershed, have you had enough time to think about our offer?'<p>

Ruth blinked furiously as the hood was removed once more and the bright light dazzled her. The man, whom she now knew as Mr Chang, stood before her waiting patiently.

'I...I can't. I don't have access to that sort of information.'

Mr Chang sighed and tapped his foot on the floor repeatedly. Ruth could tell he was getting impatient but she wasn't about to give in to his request that easily. He started forward suddenly, gripping her arms painfully.

'Three years ago you hacked into my government's databases in order to spy on a Chinese citizen. I know you are capable of doing what I am asking of you. Have you ever visited a Chinese prison Miss Evershed? My men will have you begging them to kill you within minutes. Seconds will seem like days. You'll spend all of your time naked in a cold hard cell with not even enough space to lie down. Your friends won't come looking for you. Your government will abandon you. Is that really what you want?'

Ruth couldn't control the sob that escaped her mouth at the threats being levelled at her. She knew he was telling the truth. When she had hacked into the Chinese database she had seen what they did to their prisoners. She didn't want to end up like that.

'I told you, I don't have access to the Home Secretary's diary.'

Her body tensed as Chang raised his hand menacingly. Amazingly, at that moment a crazy plan formulated in her mind.

'WAIT!' She shouted.

He paused, hand still raised as he waited for her to continue.

'I...might be able to...to get it. If I had the login details for a Section Head. I don't have enough clearance. I swear I'm telling you the truth.'

Ruth watched her captor walk around her chair as she looked nervously at the ground. Eventually he came to a stop before her and gripped her chin painfully.

'I will get you the information you need. I will get you the login details of Sir Harry Pearce.'

* * *

><p>'Harry...you need to see this! It's Ruth!'<p>

Harry heard Tariq shouting from across the grid and sprinted to his desk. He skidded to a halt just as a video started playing on Tariq's screen. His heart stopped when he realised it was Ruth with a Chinese man pointing a gun at her head. He watched in horror as the man forced Ruth to read from a script.

'I am being held by the Chinese government for crimes against the state. I will be imprisoned for an as yet undetermined period of time, unless you agree to the terms of the proposed trade. My life for the security codes of Sir Harry Pearce. Be at the co-ordinates attached to this video in 3 hours or you will never...never see me again. Harry, don't...'

The video cut off just as Ruth tried to say something and Harry shouted in anger, flinging his coffee cup across the grid. He stormed into his office without another word to anybody but Ros bravely followed him.

'Harry, we have to go along with them for now. We can't let them take her back to China. We'll never see her again.'

'Don't you think I know that?' Harry snapped back.

Unperturbed, Ros continued, seemingly oblivious to Harry's rising anger.

'We know the co-ordinates. We can set up a trap. It'll be fine Harry.'

Harry slumped into his chair and rested his head in his hands. How could this be happening? They had only just found each other properly and now he was going to lose her. All those years wasted, he cursed himself for taking no for an answer from her after their first date. How things could have been so different.

'I love her Ros.'

'I know Harry, I know.'

* * *

><p>Harry waited in the dimly lit car park with Ros beside him, coat flapping in the midnight wind. He briefly glanced at the rooftops to make sure the CO19 officers weren't visible before focussing on the black car that was slowly driving towards them. It stopped a few feet away and two Chinese men carrying automatic weapons jumped out, aiming them at Harry and Ros.<p>

'Where is Ruth?' He shouted at them.

Neither showed any inclination of having heard him but at that moment an older Chinese man stepped out of the car too with his arm securely around a very scared looking Ruth's neck. Harry's heart skipped a beat when he saw her and he felt a surge of anger at the person who had dared man handle her. His eyes moved downwards to check her over for injuries and he felt sick to his stomach when he noticed they had fitted Ruth with a vest filled with plastic explosives. The man holding Ruth noticed his gaze and finally spoke up.

'For security Mr Pearce. To make sure your snipers on the rooftops don't get too eager. I am Mr Chang.'

Harry heard Ros talking quietly behind him into her ear piece to ensure nobody fired upon the area as he tried to figure out the best way to play the situation.

'You give me your codes, and when I've verified them I'll give you the code to the padlock on Miss Evershed's vest. If I find out you gave me the wrong codes, then...BOOM!'

The man laughed and Harry felt his blood boiling. He looked Ruth in the eye and tried to calm her with a loving look. He realised what he was going to have to do, and stepped forward confidently.

'I can give you something better than my codes. Release her from the vest now and I'll tell you what I'm offering.'

Chang appeared to think about Harry's offer for a moment before wordlessly releasing Ruth's vest. She shrugged it off quickly and ran to Harry, throwing her arms around him. He held her tightly, committing to memory every inch of her before pushing her away gently.

'Ruth...go with Ros.'

Ruth looked confused before realisation dawned on her what Harry was about to do.

'No...no Harry you can't. Please, don't.'

She tugged at his shirt but he held her away from. In the background she could hear Ros calling her name and attempting to pull her away. She hadn't eaten or drank all day and she was weak, so was no match for the other woman. Tears streaming down her face, she watched helplessly as Harry got into the car with Chang and it drove quickly away, turning the corner out of sight.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Since you were all so kind with your reviews as always, I decided to get this out straight away. It's not exactly fluffy, but I promise the next chapter will be! **

* * *

><p>'It's my fault. It's my fault. I told them I would need Harry's details. I thought they might give away their location by contacting him. Stupid! It's all my fault.'<p>

Ruth sobbed, repeating her words over and over like a mantra as Jo rubbed her back, unable to think of anything remotely reassuring to say. They had arrived back on the grid a few moments ago and Ruth had yet to calm down. Ros had immediately gone off to talk to Tariq, about what she didn't know, but she was grateful that at least she had allowed her to stay with Ruth.

'Ruth...you weren't to know this would happen. It's not your fault. Why don't we go and find Ros? We can help her try to find Harry.'

Ruth sniffed and wiped her tears away with her sleeve before nodding and standing unsteadily. Jo supported her by placing an arm around her waist and together they made their way over to Tariq's work station where he was typing away furiously with Ros watching eagerly over his shoulder. When Ros noticed the two women approaching she turned to them with a smile on her face.

'Good, you're here. Let's go and find Harry shall we?'

* * *

><p>'Ughhh.'<p>

Harry grunted as another blow rained down on his already bloodied and bruised face. As far as he could tell there were three assailants, but he couldn't be 100% sure due to the black hood Chang had placed over his head as soon as he had gotten in the car. The men started kicking his ribs and he curled up to protect himself as best he could with his hands tied behind his back. The pain stopped suddenly and he heard a door open and close before the hood was removed from his head to reveal Chang stood over him with three huge bodyguards at the door.

'Mr Pearce. Are you ready to talk yet?'

Harry didn't say anything, just continued to stare at the floor. It seemed to infuriate Chang and he punched him hard across the face.

'Your friends will never find you here Mr Pearce. You had better get used to the idea of pain.'

Harry spat blood from his mouth and began to laugh. He laughed so hard his ribs hurt, but he couldn't help himself, as he thought back to a conversation he had with Tariq before he had left the grid earlier that day.

* * *

><p>'<em>Harry, wait up.'<em>

_Harry turned and waited as Tariq ran towards him breathlessly, holding a syringe in his hand._

'_I want to try something on you. With your permission of course. They've had promising results at Six with this, and I've a contact who owed me a favour.'_

_Harry studied the syringe intently, wondering what on earth was inside it. Tariq must have sensed his intrigue because he continued talking a mile a minute._

'_If you're planning on doing what I think you're going to do. You'll need this. It's a silicone based mixture that's been injected with microscopic amounts of nanotechnology. The chain reaction caused when...'_

_Harry held up his hand, already at a loss as to what Tariq was trying to say._

'_Tariq, in English please.' He said._

'_OK...basically, I inject you with this, and we can track you anywhere in the world for 12 hours. No technology in the world can detect it.'_

_Harry thought for a moment then nodded at Tariq. He held his arm out and winced painfully as the needle injected the solution into his bloodstream. He didn't feel any different, which he supposed was a good thing. Nodding at Tariq in thanks, he turned and left the grid with Ros._

* * *

><p>Ruth waited impatiently as Tariq continued to work on his computer.<p>

'I thought you said you could track him anywhere in the world with this...this stuff.'

The young techie didn't even look up from his screen as he replied to Ruth's query.

'I can, but if they've taken him somewhere with defences in place, I still have to hack through them. I've narrowed it down to an area in East London. I just need to...got it!' Tariq cried triumphantly, but the smile on his face was soon replaced with a frown when he realized where exactly Harry had been taken.

'What is it? Tariq?' Ruth asked nervously.

'The Embassy. He's in the Chinese Embassy. I'm sorry Ruth.'

* * *

><p>'Ruth, I understand you want to get him back, but we can't just go waltzing into an Embassy to retrieve him. There are rules. We could get handed over to the Chinese ourselves if we were caught.'<p>

Ruth sighed, slamming her hand down on the table hard and making everybody jump.

'I don't care about their damn rules. We _have_ to get him back. Never mind my...personal feelings on the issues, this is a matter of national security. If they break him...'

Ros seemed to think about this for a minute, before deciding Ruth was indeed correct. She leaned forward and placed both her hands on the table.

'OK, if we do this, we do this without the help of the grid. This can't get back to the DG. Everybody, meet at my place tonight, 8pm.'

* * *

><p>Harry's arms ached and his ribs felt like they were all broken. It hurt to breathe and it didn't help that he was so cold he had lost all feeling in his extremities. It had been what felt like hours since anybody had been in to see him, his last beating for laughing in Chang's face had been particularly severe but he had taken it without saying a word. When the door to the room opened he barely had the energy to lift his head and open his eyes. Chang strode over to him and lifted him up into a sitting position, ignoring his grunts of pain.<p>

'Why do you not talk Mr Pearce? Your government do not know you are here. Soon we will be transporting you back to China. Your _friend_ gave you up with no difficulties whatsoever to save herself. Why do you persist?'

Harry felt a chill run through him that wasn't due to the temperature of the room. Had Ruth really given him up to save herself? No, he couldn't believe that. She wouldn't. Shaking his head, he tried to stand but was easily pushed back down by Chang.

'Now now Mr Pearce, stay seated please. One of the many things Miss Evershed told me is that you have access to the Home Secretary's schedule. Once more, give me your security codes.'

Harry's heart sank at the revelation that Ruth had revealed so much information. He tried to stay positive and believe that Chang was lying, but the more the pain increased, the more difficult it was. He felt the bliss of unconsciousness approaching and welcomed it with open arms.

* * *

><p>Ros crouched behind the large brick wall, Jo, Tariq and Ruth in front of her. She took one look around to make sure they hadn't been seen then turned to her officers to go over their plan.<p>

'Ok, Tariq. When I give the signal, cut the electricity. Then you and Ruth get back to the van and manipulate the CCTV from there. Be ready to leave sharpish when you hear us coming. Jo, follow my orders to the letter. Don't let anybody see your face and under NO circumstances is anybody to use our real names. Ready?'

Three scared and nervous faces nodded back at her and she pulled her balaclava down before leaping over the nearby fence, running low towards the door. Giving the signal to Tariq, she waited until the lights all went out in the building before taking out the guards at the front door with her silenced pistol. It was the middle of the night so she hoped there weren't too many more inside.

Together Ros and Jo cleared room after room, staying out of sight thanks to Tariq and Ruth's use of the internal cameras. Eventually they came to the Ambassador's office; the only room they hadn't checked yet. Ros reached for the handle when Jo pulled her arm back.

'If the Ambassador is behind this, that means they had government backing. What do we do about this? This is bigger than we thought.'

Ros thought for a moment before reaching again for the handle.

'We get Harry back for now and worry about that later.'

After a count of three they burst into the room together, weapons raised. It took them only a second to realise the room was empty.

'Eagle One, package is not here. Repeat, package is not here.' Ros whispered into her earpiece.

'The signal is definitely coming from this building. Try to find a cellar or hidden compartment.'

Ros nodded to Jo at Tariq's advice and they began checking the walls of the office. Jo stepped back in shock when she pressed her hand to one of the wall panels and it sprang open. Without a word the two women made their way down the staircase that had been revealed, hearing voices down at the bottom. They took out the two guards quickly and silently and were left with a solid concrete door.

Jo grabbed the handle and swung the door open quietly. Inside the room they saw Harry, bound and gagged on the floor with two men standing over him. They recognised one of the men as Chang from their earlier exchange, and the other was the Chinese Ambassador; Mr Lee. The two men were so wrapped up in their interrogation of Harry they didn't notice either woman until it was too late. They both slumped to the floor unconscious and Jo made quick work of securing their hands and feet.

'Quick Harry, we don't have much time to get you out of here.' Ros urged while trying to get him to stand up.

'No...no...no more...please.' Harry murmured.

Ros grabbed Harry by the arms and shook him gently, lifting her balaclava so that he could see her face.

'Harry, it's me. We can get you out of here but I need your help. Can you walk?'

Harry looked at Ros' face with pure confusion in his eyes. Eventually he seemed to recognise her and made some effort to stand. With Ros' support and Jo looking out for any unwanted company, they made painstakingly slow progress back the way they had come. It took them nearly half an hour to reach the perimeter fence but when they did, Tariq and Ruth were waiting with the van doors open. Ros helped Harry inside and quickly pulled the doors shut behind them, the van speeding off into the night.

* * *

><p>'Harry, Harry look at me. Harry!'<p>

Ruth gripped Harry's chin and tried to get him to look at her as he lay barely conscious on the floor in the back of the van. Ros was busying herself with a first aid kit and Jo simply watched from the corner of the vehicle, a worried look on her face. All four occupants jerked to the left as Tariq turned a corner too fast.

'Tariq, slow down, I need to inject him!' Ros shouted.

They all felt the van slow slightly and Ros hesitated a moment before injecting Harry in his arm. Throwing the needle to one side she passed Ruth some rags and a bottle of water.

'It was just a painkiller. Why don't you clean his face.'

Ruth took the items from Ros and stared dumbly as her cold hands clutched them.

'Why aren't we taking him to a hospital?' She asked.

'Because nobody can know what happened tonight. He'll have to recover at home. I can administer basic first aid and cover the grid for him for a few days.'

Ruth nodded as she unscrewed the bottle and poured some of the cold liquid onto a piece of the fabric Ros had passed her. Scrunching it up, she pressed it gently to Harry's forehead. He flinched away from her touch and groaned at the effort, causing her heart to constrict. She barely recognised him, he had been beaten so badly. His face was bruised and bloodied, both eyes swollen shut. His clothes were torn and filthy and through the rips she could see massive purple bruises on his chest where he must have broken ribs. A sob escaped her and Ros looked over sympathetically. In another unexpected show of emotion she took Ruth's hand and squeezed gently.

'He'll be alright Ruth. I promise.'

Ruth sniffed and managed a small smile before going back to her task of cleaning Harry's face. This time he didn't flinch away from her touch and she assumed he had slipped into unconsciousness. She was surprised then when his hand closest to her moved slightly and came to rest above her own that she was using to brace herself whilst leaning over Harry. She looked first down at their hands then up into his face for any sign he was conscious. His eyes were ever so slightly open despite the swelling and she dropped the damp rag to caress his cheek.

'Harry.' She said, her voice breaking.

He was trying to say something, she could tell. Leaning forward she placed her ear close to his mouth and listened intently.

'Ruth...love...you.' Harry croaked.

She could no longer hold back her tears and pressed her lips gently to his before she replied.

'Oh Harry. I love you too.'


	13. Chapter 13

Ruth sat on the edge of the bed staring intently at Harry. Her eyes felt unbelievably heavy but she tried to keep them open anyway. It had been two days since they had rescued Harry from the Chinese and he was yet to wake up properly. When they had gotten him back into his house, Ros had stayed through the night with her to make sure he would be alright then she had left for the grid. She was allowing Ruth to work from Harry's house and send her research in while there were no major threats, which she was eternally grateful for. Looking after Harrry had been difficult, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

The swelling on his face had almost disappeared now, and instead it had turned a horrible shade of purple to match his chest. They had undressed him down to his boxers when they had put him in bed and Ruth had been horrified at the amount of injuries they had uncovered. It had taken her hours to clean them all and he hadn't regained consciousness at all whilst she was tending to them. In fact, the only time he had spoken at all was about ten hours ago, when he mumbled incoherently about Catherine and Graham for around ten minutes. She was getting worried about him. If he didn't wake up today she was going to take him to a hospital. To hell with Ros' orders, Harry's well being was more important.

Her eyes became too heavy to stay open any longer and reluctantly she lay down on the bed beside Harry. Checking his pulse once more, she allowed sleep to overcome her and prayed when she woke up there would be some improvement in his condition.

* * *

><p>The first thing Harry became aware of was pain. Huge amounts of pain all over his body. It was so great he was too afraid to open his eyes to look at himself. Unsure of where he was, he tried to remember the last few days but came up blank. He vaguely remembered being tied up somewhere cold and being beaten. Oh, the beatings. He flinched as he remembered the vicious beatings he had endured, then wished he hadn't when pain shot up the left side of his body. Keeping as still as possible, he tried figure out where he was at this very moment. The ability to open his eyes was still too much so he felt the surface underneath him gently with his fingers and was glad to recognise his own bed. The mattress was unmistakable; he had only purchased it recently (he was pleased he remembered that) so it was still extremely firm and the pillows fitted just so around his head.<p>

From the area of warmth over his right arm, he deduced it was daytime and the sun was shining in through his window. He briefly wondered why he wasn't in hospital when he hurt so much, when an image of Ros in a balaclava hauling him into the back of a van came back to him, and he remembered everything about his torture in a flash. Silently thanking Ros for not taking him to a hospital and having to answer some very awkward questions, he began to feel around very gently with his hands to uncover any more information about his current situation. He didn't have to move his left hand very far until it came into contact with the soft skin of another hand. He knew who he hoped it would be, and inhaled deeply through his nose. The smell of Ruth's perfume reached him and he managed a small smile at the fact that she was there with him.

He decided she must be asleep as she hadn't moved when he had touched her hand. Now was the time to open his eyes. With tremendous effort, he finally opened them a crack, and the far wall of his bedroom came swimming into view. Opening them further, he saw his open bedroom door, and Scarlett asleep in the hallway, as if on guard duty. He turned his head very painfully and slowly to the side and finally his eyes came to rest on Ruth. She looked beautiful, as always, but she also looked exhausted and there were marks on her cheeks where she had been crying. He was torn between letting her sleep and waking her. She obviously needed the rest, but he was anxious to know if Chang had been lying to him when he had said Ruth had given up so much information. It was a conversation he knew was unlikely to go well, but was one they needed to have, for national security just as much as for their relationship.

He squeezed her hand gently in her own and tried to whisper her name. No sound came from his mouth so he cleared his throat and tried again.

'Ruth.' He croaked.

She stirred in her sleep and stretched her arms out, eyes opening and meeting his straight away. He saw she was shocked to find him awake and she immediately jumped up, fussing over him. She handed him a glass of water which he took eagerly and listened as she started babbling.

'Harry, oh thank god you're awake. Where does it hurt? Do you want painkillers? Anything you need just let me know, Ros has let me work from here until you're better.'

He smiled another painful smile and managed to pat the now empty space beside him. She took the hint and lay back down, closer to him this time. Leaning forward she kissed him gently and he eagerly responded, ignoring the pain it caused. When they pulled apart there were tears in Ruth's eyes.

'Harry I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I don't know how you're ever going to forgive me.'

Harry felt another kind of pain in his chest at Ruth's admission. _So Chang was telling the truth_ he thought glumly to himself. He couldn't help the disappointment that was coursing through him.

'I need to know exactly how much you told him. Lives could depend on it.'

'Lives? What do you mean?' Ruth looked terribly confused. 'Harry, I only told him I would need your login details. I had hoped he would make a mistake in contacting you and you could track him. My plan backfired obviously, I'm so sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt.'

Harry lay thinking for a moment. So she had only told Chang she would need information from him. Chang had been lying. _Of course he was you old fool _he berated himself silently. The guilt must have been written all over his face because Ruth looked crestfallen.

'Oh Harry, you didn't think...I would never have betrayed you and MI5 like that!' Ruth's voiced had raised slightly in anger.

Harry reached for Ruth's hand and was glad when she at least didn't pull away.

'I'm sorry Ruth. It's just Chang told me you had and..the beatings...they were so often. And I didn't know what time it was or where I was and I got so confused...I just didn't know. I'm sorry.'

Ruth seemed torn between her indignation at his assumption of her guilt and her love for the man lay before her. Eventually her love for Harry must have won out because she leaned as close to him as she dared and put her arm carefully over his stomach. Despite the pain, he was comforted greatly as she kissed his cheek.

'It's OK Harry. Go back to sleep. You need your rest.'

The last thing he heard before slipping back into sleep was Ruth whispering her love for him.

* * *

><p>The next day Harry felt a lot better. His head was no longer so fuzzy and the swelling around his eyes had gone down completely, so opening them was no longer a problem. With Ruth's help he had managed to sit up in bed and she had brought him some chicken soup to eat. At first he wasn't keen, but at her insistence he had tried one mouthful and it was as if his stomach had suddenly come back to life. He was ravenous and was quickly requesting another bowl. Ruth lay beside him as he ate, drawing lazy patterns on his stomach and keeping him up to date on events on the grid.<p>

'...so Ros said I could work from here for as long as I need to, unless a major incident occurs. Which is good because...' Ruth reached up and patted Harry's wooden headboard.'...touch wood, _you_ were the last major incident, and everything's been quiet since then.'

Harry chuckled softly, wincing slightly at the ever present pain in his ribs. Ruth noticed and sat up alert immediately.

'What is it Harry? Your ribs? Do you need more medication?'

Harry sighed and placed his bowl on the bedside table. Slouching down the bed into a lying down position he looked cheekily over at Ruth.

'I don't need medication, but maybe you could kiss it better?'

Ruth smirked and leaned down, placing gentle kisses over Harry's bruised skin. She could hear his breathing getting more relaxed as she kissed every bit of damaged skin she could find. Making her way higher and higher, she eventually found his mouth and they kissed passionately. It was their first proper kiss since Harry had been rescued and he was enjoying it thoroughly. They pulled away when the need for oxygen became apparent, and both were breathing heavily. Harry tried to pull Ruth down on top of him but she resisted.

'Harry, your bruises...' she began, but was interrupted.

'I don't care. You're worth it. I don't feel the pain when you touch me.'

She resisted a moment longer but soon realised he wasn't going to give up so let herself be pulled onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around her with a small groan and they both fell into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>It was now five days since Harry had come home, and he was out of bed and moving around, albeit rather gingerly. His bruises were starting to fade and the cuts on his face were healing well. He was currently sat in the kitchen waiting for the breakfast Ruth was cooking. His stomach growled at the smell of the bacon and eggs. It was the first proper meal he was going to have eaten in almost a week, having been living off a diet of bread and soup while confined to his bed. Ruth placed the plate in front of him and he tucked in eagerly. It was a mountain of food, enough to feed two or three people but he ate it all with no trouble at all. Ruth watched him shovelling forkful after forkful into his mouth with an amused look on her face. He leaned back when he was done, a satisfied look on his face.<p>

'Thank you Ruth, I could eat that again. Now, I think I'm ready to go back to work.'

Ruth tutted, knowing that statement was coming sooner or later. She wandered into the hall and returned with Scarlett's dog lead.

'First, we take Scarlett for a walk. You've done nothing for almost a week. You need to take it easy Harry.'

He nodded reluctantly and they left the confines of the house for the first time in five days. Harry needed help getting down the front steps of his house but once they were on level ground he insisted on holding Scarlett's lead. They walked hand in hand until they reached a park, and sat down for a rest on the nearest bench. In comfortable silence they watched the other people go about their daily lives until a voice behind them made them both jump.

'Well, isn't this just nice and cosy.' Ros said.

They both turned to face her and she smiled back at them, moving around the bench to sit beside Harry.

'Glad to see you're doing well Harry. Just thought I'd give you an update on the Chinese situation. Seems they're too embarrassed about having kidnapped a British citizen with no reasonable grounds for arrest to say anything about the incident at their Embassy. I'd say it's all over and done with.'

Harry nodded, glad that it was one less problem he would have to deal with when he returned to work.

'That's good Ros. And thank you for rescuing me. That'll come up in your pay review. I'm coming back to work tomorrow.'

Ros nodded and left Harry and Ruth sitting alone on the bench. He could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't happy with his determination to return to work the following day.

'Darling, I can't stay cooped up at home forever, I'll go crazy. Besides, you can keep an eye on me at work too.'

Ruth seemed somewhat placated by this and they both stood, taking a leisurely walk back towards Harry's home.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Just a shorter than usual one to get Harry settled back in at work before the madness starts again. Pure fluff!**

* * *

><p>Harry took a deep breath as he waited for the pod to turn and allow him entry to the grid. It had been a week since his ordeal at the hands of the Chinese and the only visible reminder of it was a few healing cuts on his face and they way he winced when he needed to bend down for anything. Ruth had taken good care of him during their time off, but he couldn't afford to miss anything else. It wasn't fair on Ros for a start.<p>

Ruth had squeezed into the same pod as him on arrival and as it opened for them she linked her arm inside his, causing him to look at her quizzically. As far as he knew, she didn't want their relationship known to the others on the grid, so her actions were somewhat of a surprise to him. His confusion must have been written all over his face because Ruth smiled and leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek before tugging him out of the pod and onto the grid.

'If this last week has taught me anything Harry, it's that life is too short to waste it worrying about what other people think. I love you and I don't care who knows it.'

Ros chose that particular moment to pass them, obviously on her way back from the staff kitchen with a steaming hot cup of coffee in her hands.

'About bloody time too.' She muttered.

Ruth giggled and placed another chaste kiss on Harry's cheek before nudging him off towards his office grinning like a Cheshire cat. She sat herself down at her own desk and could feel the gaze emanating from Jo across from her.

'Alright Ruth?' She said, barely able to suppress her wide smile.

Ruth smiled back as she powered up her computer, fully aware that Jo had just witnessed hers and Harry's display by the pods. There was not a hint of embarrassment in her voice when she replied.

'Yes Jo, yes I am.'

* * *

><p>Hours later, and Ruth was busy working her way through the mountain of memos that had accumulated on her desk during her period of working from home. <em>Harry's house you mean<em> she told herself, although she wished she could refer to it as home. She had enjoyed living there whilst Harry had been recuperating and didn't want to go home to her house alone tonight. The idea of living together hadn't been brought up between them yet, and she vowed to start dropping subtle hints soon to see what Harry thought of the idea. As if he had known she was thinking about him, the man himself poked his head out of his office door at that very moment.

'Ruth, would you mind coming in here for a moment please?'

She could see the twinkle in his eye from across the grid and knew he was probably as bored as she was at wading through his paperwork. Standing, she discreetly checked herself over in the reflection on her computer screen and made her way into Harry's office. She had barely gotten the door shut behind her when Harry's lips were on hers and she found herself pressed up against the solid wood. His hands were roaming eagerly over her skin, having already found their way underneath her shirt. She let him continue, letting out a moan of pleasure at the sensations he was creating inside her. Completely forgetting about his injuries in her passion induced haze, she ran her hands down the front of Harry's chest and immediately felt guilty when he groaned and flinched away from her. The moment was broken and she began fussing over him.

'Oh god, I'm so sorry Harry, I just wasn't thinking clearly at all...'

Harry chuckled as Ruth ushered him over to the sofa and began undoing his buttons.

'Well, it's good to know I have that effect on you.'

She tutted at his joke as she opened the remainder of his shirt, pulling the two edges apart to inspect his bruising. It was still a deep purple and covered most of the left side of his chest.

'I'm concerned about this Harry, it should have started to fade by now. And look at this one, it even goes down below your trousers. Hold still and let me check it will you...'

Ruth kneeled between Harry's legs and grabbed his belt to loosen it, intent on checking his bruises fully. It was unfortunate that Jo chose that very moment to burst into Harry's office without knocking, something which she would soon come to regret. In a matter of milliseconds she assessed the situation before her. Harry sat on the sofa, shirt open. Ruth knelt on the floor between his legs, hands on Harry's loosened belt. This was a scenario she had not envisaged when Ros had sent her to Harry's office with the fax from Six.

'OH! I am SO sorry. I didn't realise you were um...yes. I'll just uh...um...go. Back to my desk. Yes. That's...where I'll be. Sorry Ruth. Sorry Harry.'

Jo moved faster than Ruth thought humanly possible and the door slammed behind her with an audible thud. Ruth looked down at herself then up at Harry from her position on the floor. It dawned quickly on her what it must have looked like from Jo's point of view and she turned an impressive shade of red. Harry on the other hand, laughed out loud for several long seconds.

* * *

><p>Ruth approached Jo's desk cautiously, having spent the last half an hour in the toilets practicing what she was going to say. The younger woman had steadfastly refused to meet either hers or Harry's eye during the briefing, instead choosing to focus intently on the information Ros was providing via the large television mounted on the wall. She had been the first one to leave the room afterwards, scurrying back to her desk and clutching her files tightly to her chest. It was due to this that Ruth now approached her with apprehension, not wanting to cause either of them any further embarrassment.<p>

'Jo, listen, I just wanted to explain. About before...' Ruth started.

'It's ok Ruth, _really_, you don't have to explain.' Jo interrupted.

'No, I do. You see, Harry's still having trouble with his bruises. I was just checking them over.'

Jo turned a deep shade of crimson as she recalled the compromising position she had found her two friends in earlier, and applying Ruth's explanation to the scenario did make it seem less filthy.

'That's what they call it these days is it?'

Jo was happy to see Ruth laugh along at her joke, glad that her friend had seemed to loosen up in recent weeks.

'Next time I'll make sure I knock.'

* * *

><p>Ruth flopped onto Harry's sofa with a tired groan. The suspected terror threat that day had turned out to be nothing more than a man returning from holiday with a huge stash of drugs, but they had still worked late into the night to catch up with their paperwork. It had been close to midnight when Harry had approached her desk and insisted they leave for the night. He had taken her back to his house without even asking, but she could find no argument to his presumption; she would happily stay here forever if he asked.<p>

She watched as Harry placed two glasses of wine on the coffee table and struggled slowly into a sitting position on the sofa. He motioned towards her feet and she lifted them onto his lap without hesitation. Harry was a man of many talents, and foot massages were high on the list. She moaned in pleasure as he worked his fingers gently over her toes and closed her eyes as she began to relax.

'You know, I'll have to go home at some point to get some clean clothes.'

Harry didn't reply to her statement, the slowed movement of his hands on her feet the only sign he had heard what she said. She opened her eyes with great difficulty to find him looking rather thoughtful.

'Why don't you bring _all_ your clothes back with you?' Harry suggested.

Ruth jumped for joy inwardly at his roundabout way of asking him to live with her, but decided to play with him for a little while. Putting on what she hoped was a convincing confused expression, she replied to him.

'But then, what would I wear when I'm at home?'

Harry again looked thoughtful, seemingly picturing a naked Ruth wandering about her home before speaking up once more.

'Well, why don't you just come here every night after work?'

Ruth pulled her feet from Harry's lap and sat up straight, pretending to get exasperated.

'Well that makes no sense Harry. I'd be forever to-ing and fro-ing!'

Harry looked thoroughly confused at the way the conversation was turning and decided to quit before he was left completely behind.

'What I meant was...oh never mind.' Harry caught the tiniest of smirks on Ruth's face and suddenly the conversation made sense to him. 'Wait...are you pulling my leg?'

Ruth didn't answer and instead kissed him passionately. Being careful of his ribs, she cuddled up to him as best she could and whispered in his ear.

'I'd love to move in with you Harry Pearce.'


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: An idea for this story came into my head but it's not very happy at all. I'll try to make it have a happy ending, but after this chapter there won't be any fluff on the horizon for a long time. Would you prefer I kept it happy and safe or do you all want to see my very angsty idea? I don't want to lose my treasured reviewers so whatever you guys say will be the direction I go in.**

* * *

><p>'Are you sure she doesn't suspect?' The older man asked.<p>

'Definitely not. I put the most sophisticated spyware in the world in her computer.' Replied the younger man.

'And it's working alright?'

'The information is being collected as we speak.' Nodded the younger man.

The older man stood up from his chair and paced around the room, deep in thought.

'Good, good. Leave it for a few days then retrieve it. And remember, if you get caught...' The older man tailed off, not needing to finish his sentence.

'I know, I know. I was acting alone. You were not involved in any way.' He sighed, knowing what he was doing was risky considering the high intelligence of their target, but the older man had not given him any choice in the matter. Sensing the discussion was over for now, he left the office, pausing at the doorway to offer one last piece of advice.

'Harry, if Ruth's birthday is so important to her, why don't you just ask her what she wants instead of spying on her web browser history?'

At Harry's incredulous look, Tariq made a quick getaway.

* * *

><p><strong>Three Days Later...<strong>

Ruth watched Tariq and Harry talking animatedly in his office and wondered what the subject of conversation was. On Tariq's exit she focussed her attention on the screen in front of her, scrolling through endless page of wedding rings. Harry hadn't proposed to her yet, but a girl could dream. She considered it might be too early, since they had only been living together for a few weeks, but then she realised she'd been in love with Harry for around 6 years, so really it wasn't that soon at all. However, she would wait until he asked. She just hoped he didn't sneak up on her and see what she was looking at. Hearing footsteps approaching from behind she frantically closed down the web page and swivelled in her chair to meet whoever wanted to see her.

'Get your coat Ruth, we've got to meet an asset.' Ros announced.

* * *

><p>'Ros, are you sure this asset's going to turn up?' Ruth asked, pulling her coat tightly around her to protect against the bitter wind.<p>

'He's late, I'll give you that.' Ros replied.

Ruth looked around and could see no sign of any other human beings at the dock. Ros had driven the longest cleaning route known to man in order to get them here and Ruth was beginning to get suspicious.

'Ros, we aren't working any cases at the moment, why exactly are we here?' She enquired.

Ros sighed. Ruth certainly wasn't making this easy.

'It's...a hunch I've got OK?'

Ruth looked even more concerned at that and she cursed inwardly at her inability to come up with a better lie on the spot.

'I'm calling Harry. Just to make sure he...' Ruth began but was cut off by Ros snatching the phone out of her hand.

'No, you don't.'

Ros could tell Ruth was beginning to get angry now. She had folded her arms across her chest and her brow was furrowed.

'Ros, you tell me what is going on right now.'

The Section Chief sighed, knowing there was no way out of this now, she was going to have to tell her the truth.

'Alright Ruth. Harry's planning a surprise birthday party for you on the grid. He asked me to get you out of there for a couple of hours so he could set it up. I imagine it's just about time to go back now. I hope you've got a good pretend surprised face.'

* * *

><p>Ros and Ruth approached the pods and shared a knowing look. Ruth knew as soon as she stepped through the clear glass tubes, the whole of the grid intended to jump out at her and it was down to her to convincingly act surprised. Steeling herself, she stepped onto the grid and was not disappointed. The entire staff of section D threw themselves out from behind their desks, filing cabinets and assorted furniture, all sporting various hats and party poppers. Harry stood before her looking adorable in a red cone hat, popper hanging loosely out of his mouth and chocolate birthday cake in his hands.<p>

'Oh Harry, you shouldn't have!' She cried, hoping nobody would notice she had been expecting this.

The crowd gathered round and sang Happy Birthday, clapping as she closed her eyes to make a wish before blowing out the candles. Thankfully Harry hadn't put on one candle for each of her years, otherwise she might have had to do him some harm. The cake was cut by Tariq and shared out equally. Harry had just popped open a bottle of champagne when the distinct sound of the pods whirring into life filtered through to everybody. As a group, they turned to see who was entering the grid and a collective gasp could be heard as Andrew Lawrence, Home Secretary stepped through the pods.

'Home Secretary, we were just...' Harry tailed off, unable to think of a good enough excuse, especially when he was standing directly underneath a large banner declaring 'Happy Birthday Ruth'.

Lawrence stood silent for what felt like the longest minute in Section D's history as he surveyed the scene before him, turning round in a complete circle on the spot to take everything in. Eventually he took one large step towards a startled Harry and relieved him of the champagne glass in his hand, taking a large swig before tipping it in Ruth's direction.

'Happy Birthday Ruth.' He declared, and immediately the celebrations started up again, relief clear on everybody's faces.

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><p>Harry found Ruth up on the roof, leaning against the barrier. He embraced her from behind, covering her cold hands with his own and snuggling his face into her neck. She struggled to hear his words through the strong wind blowing around them.<p>

'The festivities getting too much for you? I know how you don't like to be the centre of attention.' He asked.

'Mmmm.' Was all the reply he got and he pulled her tighter against him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

'It's a good job I followed you up here to do this then isn't it.'

Without another word Harry spun Ruth around and kissed her passionately, feeling her respond eagerly to his touch.

'Harry, what...?' Ruth tried to speak but he cut her off by placing a finger gently against her lips.

'Sssshhh, I'm here to give you your birthday present. But bear with me, because I'm not as agile as I used to be.'

Harry struggled down onto one knee and Ruth quickly realised what he was planning.

'Oh god...' She whispered as Harry produced a small blue velvet box from his suit pocket.

'Ruth Evershed, you make me indescribably happy. I have loved you since the moment I met you. Would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?'

Ruth stood with her hands over her mouth in shock, completely unaware that Harry had been planning this. Realising he was still waiting for an answer, she pulled him back to his feet and kissed every inch of skin she could find.

'Yes, yes, a thousand times over, yes.'

They embraced tightly in the blustery wind before making their way back down to the party.

* * *

><p>'Oh. My. GOD! RUTH! Look at that!'<p>

Ruth smirked as Jo began to almost hyperventilate. She was waving her hands and pointing at Ruth's left hand but sound was no longer coming from her mouth. Tariq passed at that moment, a mouth full of cake, and Jo grabbed him by the arm, still pointing at Ruth's hand and still unable to articulate her excitement. Tariq looked Ruth up and down before turning back to Jo.

'What's gotten into you? Too much champagne? Ruth's nail varnish isn't that amazing.' He shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the group of techies gathered around his desk.

Jo let out an exasperated sigh and tried her next victim, Ros. Ruth and Harry stood hand in hand sipping their champagne with great amusement as Jo went about trying to get somebody else to notice the addition to Ruth's jewellery.

'Ros...Ros...LOOK! FOR CHRIST'S SAKE LOOK!' Jo was shrieking by this point and Harry snorted with laughter at her behaviour. Ros merely looked extremely alarmed at the turn of events and like Tariq, turned to inspect Ruth, who by now was starting to feel a little uncomfortable under such scrutiny.

'Congratulations Jo, you spotted an engagement ring. I shouldn't wonder, the size of it. Whatever will you use your astounding powers of deduction for next?'

Without waiting for a reply Ros wandered over to the Home Secretary and handed him a glass of whiskey. He seemed genuinely pleased to see her and Ruth made a mental note to keep an eye on those developments in the future. By now, Jo had found the ability to construct proper sentences and had rushed towards Ruth and Harry, beaming.

'I am so happy for you! So when is the big day? Do I need to buy a hat? Should I prepare a speech? Who will be your maid of honour?'

Ruth was taken aback by all the questions and Harry took it as his cue to leave in search of more masculine conversation. Finding Tariq conversing with some young men he didn't recognise, he tried to slip into the conversation seamlessly, but after less than a minute realised he didn't have a clue what any of them were talking about. He retired unseen to his office and watched the party from the comfort of his own chair with a large glass of whiskey.

His eyes followed Ruth as she moved from group to group across the grid, gracefully accepting congratulations for the pair of them as well as more glasses of champagne. He was glad to see she was taking being the centre of attention very well and felt proud of her for the progress she had made since all those years ago when she had been scared off by Malcolm's comments. _Malcolm_ he thought to himself. He should let him know. Flicking on his computer he quickly opened his e-mails and fired off a short message to let his old friend know their news. His office door opened just as he turned off his computer screen, and Ruth entered clearly a little tipsy and wobbling from side to side.

'Harry! What are you doig...doinggg...do-ING in here? Isn't doing a funny word?' Ruth punctuated her sentence with a loud hiccup and fell rather than sat on Harry's sofa. Harry laughed softly and moved to join her, stroking her hair out of her eyes as she looked back up at him with a glazed look.

'You're pretty, you know that?' Ruth declared suddenly.

This time Harry laughed louder at Ruth's drunken behaviour but she took offence at his amusement and slumped down on the sofa, arms crossed and lips pouted.

'I'm sorry Ruth...thank you. You're very pretty too. Now, shall we go home?'

Ruth smiled and nodded, allowing Harry to help her stand and lead her out of his office. He pulled her tight to him as they crossed the grid. To the others watching on, it simply seemed as though he couldn't keep his hands off her, but to him he knew he was the only thing stopping Ruth from toppling over. They stopped briefly to say their goodbyes to Ros, Jo and the Home Secretary.

'So Andrew, how big is your office? I bet it's not bigger than Harry's. His is _huge._' To accentuate her point, she held her arms out by her sides as if measuring Harry's office in mid air. Then to Harry's horror, Ruth turned and winked at Jo and added to her previous statement.

'If you know what I mean.' She laughed cheekily.

The wink was the final straw and Harry quickly pulled her towards the pods, leaving a laughing Jo and Ros with a rather embarrassed Lawrence. They made it out of Thames House without further incident and he placed a now sleepy Ruth in the back seat of his car. Luckily, there was a driver on hand otherwise they would have had to get a taxi. The short drive to Harry's house was made longer by Ruth's head constantly falling onto his shoulder as she slept. Each time he would wake her and prop her head back upright but within seconds she would be asleep again, his expensive black coat in danger of being dribbled on.

When they finally arrived at his house, he thanked the driver and helped Ruth up to his bedroom. They shed themselves of clothes fairly easily and he climbed in beside her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. He was half asleep when the sound of Ruth snoring in his ear woke him up. It was going to be a long night.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: So the general consensus was to go with the angst providing it has a happy ending. Well here is the next chapter. I'll do my absolute best to provide a happy ending eventually, but it won't be anytime soon if I follow my plan! All I can do is apologise for where I leave this chapter. I hope it doesn't put any of you off reviewing, even if it is to criticize!**

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><p>Harry nodded along mutely as he listened to the Home Secretary droning on about the latest politician who had dared cross him. When he had been summoned to Whitehall first thing in the morning he had expected a reprimand waiting for him after yesterday's birthday party for Ruth. However Lawrence had not even mentioned it before launching into a tirade against the Shadow Chancellor for leaking details to the press about his personal life.<p>

'...and who cares if I'm sleeping with her anyway? It's not like either of us are married. She comes to my house first thing on a...' Lawrence continued.

Harry zoned out again once he realised they were still on the subject of Lawrence's girlfriend. All he wanted was for this to be over as quickly as possible so that he could get to the grid and see Ruth. He had left before she had woken this morning, and he was keen to see how she was dealing with her hangover. Finally it seemed as though Lawrence had finished his rant, as he sat down in his chair and stared expectantly at Harry. It was clear Lawrence had just asked him a question. What it was, he had no idea as he had been too busy daydreaming about Ruth. Taking a gamble, he went for a neutral response.

'Yes Home Secretary, of course.'

Lawrence looked pleased with his reply and nodded whilst rubbing his hands together.

'Well thank you Harry, I'll send over the details later. That'll be all.'

Harry stood, wondering what he could possibly have just let himself in for, and was halfway out the door when he heard Lawrence call his name.

'Oh and Harry? Next time you decide to throw a party on the grid...make sure you invite me yes?'

Harry chuckled as he left the confines of the plush office and hurried back to Thames House.

* * *

><p>'Oh god, what have you done to me Jo?'<p>

Ruth groaned, holding her head in her hands as she leaned over her desk. Her head was spinning and her mouth felt unbelievably dry. Matters hadn't been helped when she had woken up to find Harry's side of the bed bare with a note telling her he had been called to an early meeting at Whitehall. He was due back any second now and she was not looking forward to the merciless teasing he was bound to bestow upon her. She heard Jo laughing across from her as she handed her a glass of water which she eagerly accepted, gulping it down in one go.

'Hey, Ruth. You're the one that kept accepting the glasses of champagne. And I certainly didn't tell you to discuss the size of Harry's um..._appendages_ in front of the Home Secretary.'

Ruth look confused for a moment then slowly her expression turned to one of horror as the conversation in question came screaming back to her.

'Oh God, Harry's never going to forgive me is he?' She whispered.

'I think he already has.' Harry said from over Ruth's left shoulder, causing her to jump.

'Harry! I am so sorry. I swear, I'm never drinking ever again!' Ruth exclaimed. She shot Jo a death glare when she heard her mutter 'Yeah, right.' Under her breath before turning and embracing Harry gingerly.

'It's quite alright sweetheart, Lawrence thought nothing of it.'

He kissed her cheek and began fiddling with her engagement ring, still unable to believe she had agreed to marry him. He opened his mouth to speak when an insistent flashing from Ruth's screen caught all of their attentions. Ruth leaned over to open the e-mail, the familiar feeling of dread filling her as she read about the latest terrorist threat. Suddenly, her hangover was the least of her worries.

* * *

><p>Ruth leaned back into the upholstered leather and allowed her eyes to drift closed as Harry traced soft patterns on the skin on the back of her hand. They were being driven home after a long hard day on the grid. The terrorist threat had been averted, but only just. It was now the early hours of the morning and all she wanted to do was curl up in bed with Harry and fall asleep. The jerking of the car as it came to a stop woke her, and she allowed Harry to open the car door for her. Groggily she fumbled about for her keys in her bag and let them into the house. She noticed too late the figure standing in the shadows, and the last thing she heard before the cloth was forced over her mouth and she slipped into unconsciousness was a pained grunt from Harry behind her as he fell to the floor.<p>

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><p>The first thing that Ruth became aware of as she woke up was that her hands and feet were tied to one of the chairs in the kitchen. Harry was in a similar plight beside her, and they had been positioned to face a laptop on the kitchen table. She craned her neck to look around her as Harry came to and saw a man she didn't recognise making a cup of tea behind them, as well as two armed guards stood motionless by the door. A glance at Harry to see the fear in his eyes told her that he did recognise the man. The intruder turned then, mug in hand and noticed they were conscious.<p>

'Ah Harry, and Ruth, glad to see you are awake.'

The fact that this man knew her name when she did not know his worried her; he had obviously been watching them for some time before making his move. She looked again at Harry and saw he was grinding his teeth silently, something which he only did when he was frantically trying to figure out a plan of action.

'Who are you?' She asked bravely to the man.

'I think I will let your friend Harry answer that question. You remember me don't you Harry?'

Harry looked between the man and Ruth, clearly trying to decide how much information he should reveal.

'This man is Laurent Delpierre.' Harry explained in a low, angry voice. 'His brother was killed during a mission I authorised nearly ten years ago in Kent. He was part of a French terrorist cell operating in...'

'NO! HE WAS NOT A TERRORIST!' Laurent interrupted, his voice angry and loud, but Harry continued anyway.

'He _was_ part of a French terrorist cell operating in England, and I ordered CO19 to raid the house where he was hiding. Rather than give himself in, he shot himself. Laurent here obviously blames me.' Harry finished his explanation and shot a sympathetic glance Ruth's way, angry that yet again his past had come back to haunt him and Ruth was getting caught in the crossfire.

'My brother was innocent. You took away my only family. The only person I loved. Now, I am going to do the same to you.'

Ruth began to panic, watching in horror as Laurent turned on the laptop and brought it closer for them to see. A CCTV image of Greater London popped up on the screen. She didn't recognise the area but it was greatly populated.

'This is London. On this street, I have an operative carrying two canisters of VX gas. You will do as I ask, or I will instruct the operative to release the gas into the general population.' Laurent turned smugly towards Harry and Ruth, his hands spread wide before him.

'How do I know you're telling the truth?' Harry enquired.

'Well Mr Pearce, make an educated guess. You're pretty good at that aren't you? Coming to conclusions without all the facts?' Laurent angrily replied.

'So what do you want me to do?'

Laurent shifted his gaze towards Ruth as he spoke.

'Simple Mr Pearce. You are going to do to yourself what you did to me all those years ago. You are going to murder the person you love the most. You are going to murder the lovely Miss Evershed.'

* * *

><p>'If you think for one second that I'm going to comply with that ridiculous demand then you are sadly mistaken.' Harry spoke slowly, trying and failing to hide his anger at the man stood before him. He discreetly tried to loosen his restraints but they cut painfully into his wrists when he moved even an inch.<p>

'You will comply. Or thousands of people will die. Is her life worth more than thousands of others?'

Harry looked over at Ruth to see her shaking, tears rolling down her cheeks.

'I don't want to die Harry.' She whispered.

Harry's jaw set in determination. He would get them out of this. To his surprise, Laurent leaned over him and began untying his restraints. He prepared to launch himself at him when he felt the cold hard muzzle of a weapon press painfully into his cheek. The two armed guards had moved from the door and were training both of their weapons on him carefully.

'Now listen carefully Mr Pearce, because I will only say this once. I will hand you a gun in a moment. You will use it to shoot Miss Evershed. Then you will check to make sure you have done the job properly. When she has been confirmed dead, I will instruct my operative to withdraw back to France. If you try to harm me or my guards, they will shoot first you, then Miss Evershed, then I will release the gas anyway. You really have no choice in the matter but to do as I say.'

True to his word, Laurent finished untying Harry then handed him a small pistol. Harry took it and weighed up his options. There was no chance he could take out both guards without one of them shooting him dead. He could use Laurent as a shield, but getting to him would be tricky and by the looks of the automatic weapons the guards carried, the bullets would likely go straight through him anyway. He looked again at a terrified Ruth and felt his heart break. They had no options and no chance of rescue. Nobody on the grid would even know this was happening.

'If...IF I was to comply with your demands, how do I even know there's anybody down there with the gas? You could be bluffing.'

Wordlessly Laurent began working on the laptop and pulled up various schematics and files that proved he had purchased and constructed two canisters of VX gas. Harry became even more scared when he watched footage of an unknown man placing the canisters into a backpack, dressed in a rather distinctive camouflage jacket. Laurent flicked back to the image of the busy London street and with horror Harry immediately spotted the jacket amongst the large crowd.

'The death toll could reach the hundreds of thousands if you do not do this Mr Pearce.' Laurent urged him on and his grip on the pistol tightened considerably as the urge to shoot this man became almost irresistible.

'Harry...don't listen to him. He's bluffing. He has to be. Please, I don't want to die.' Ruth pleaded with Harry but his back was to her and he didn't show any indication that he had heard her.

Harry continued to watch the CCTV footage, hoping against hope that he might spot something to give him any hint that this was a bluff. He could see none, and began to feel physically ill at the thought of his only remaining option. He turned slowly to face Ruth, the tears by now streaming steadily down her face.

'Harry...no...no...I love you Harry. Harry, I love you. Please don't do this. We can find another way. Please. I love you.' Ruth begged as she frantically tried to break free of her bonds, blood dripping down her wrists as she struggled.

Harry lifted the weapon up, hand shaking considerably. He had to wipe his free hand over his eyes in order to see properly, tears blurring his vision. Not trusting his one shaking hand, he gripped the pistol tightly with both hands and aimed it Ruth's chest.

'I'm so sorry Ruth. I love you. Always.' He closed his eyes and tried in vain to block out Ruth's blood curdling scream and Laurent's incessant laughing. With one final deep breath he pulled the trigger.

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: ****Wow, such lovely reviews for the last chapter. Thank you so much! Since I left it at such a horrendous place, I thought I'd get this up sooner rather than later. A few of you commented on Ruth's begging for her life, well I've tried to explain that here. I hope you find her reasoning feasible. Enjoy...hopefully!**

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><p>When Harry came to he was sprawled on his kitchen floor with a pounding headache. He lifted his hand to feel the back of his head and it came away sticky with blood. Looking around, he saw Ruth's back as she was slumped forward in a chair, hands and feet still tied. His memories came quickly back to him from before he was presumably knocked unconscious. Laurent Delpierre, the two thugs, the VX gas, the gun.<p>

'Oh God, Ruth.' He croaked.

Climbing to his feet quickly and ignoring the pain in his head he approached Ruth with great trepidation, a huge lump in his throat. Hands shaking, he squeezed her shoulder as he walked around to her front and was surprised to feel she was still warm. That meant he hadn't been unconscious for very long. Tears fell freely as he looked at the woman he loved motionless in the chair. She was slumped forward so far that her hair had fallen over her face so he couldn't see anything apart from her long brown locks and her legs.

'What have I done?'

He collapsed before her and wept. He wept for what seemed like an eternity but in reality it was only a few minutes before his muddled mind noticed something out of place. There was no blood on the floor surrounding the chair. He had aimed directly at her chest, so she should have bled to death. There should have been a large pool of blood around her. Carefully he reached up from his place on the cold hard floor and swept her hair to the side. It felt like his heart stopped beating right there and then. There was no bullet wound, no injury of any kind on Ruth. She appeared to be simply unconscious. He quickly released her hands and feet and checked her pulse, which seemed normal. Elated yet extremely confused all at the same time, he scrambled for the gun which laid on the floor a few metres away and released the magazine from the grip. Prying the top bullet out he inspected it closely and let it fall to the floor with a faint clatter when he realised what it was. The gun was loaded with blanks.

Now thoroughly confused, his mind went into spook mode and he began to look around the room for clues as to what had happened. Despite his headache he tried hard to think of the last thing he remembered. He could recall Ruth screaming his name, and Laurent laughing, and he could recall the gut wrenching agony he had felt as he squeezed the trigger, but after that he could remember nothing. By the wound on the back of his head he deduced Laurent had knocked him out the second he had pulled the trigger and he and his accomplices had fled soon after.

His eyes fell to the laptop on the kitchen table and he saw the image of the London street he had been willing to sacrifice Ruth for was still on the screen, but there was something wrong with it. Leaning over it, it didn't take him long to figure out why the image looked odd. It was paused. With dread he opened the CD drawer of the machine and lying in the tray was a CD with the words 'Fake CCTV images' written on it in large black letters.

Harry began to piece together what had happened in his mind. Clearly Delpierre had a grudge against him. He had wanted him to murder Ruth in revenge for his dead brother, yet he had filled the gun with blanks, and the VX gas had been a bluff. _Ruth was one step ahead of me as usual_ he thought bitterly to himself. How he was going to explain this to her when she came to he didn't know. Scrolling through the files on the laptop he found one entitled 'Play Me'. Curiosity got the better of him and he loaded the file up. Delpierre's face appeared on the screen and Harry listened intently as he began to speak.

_If you're reading this Mr Pearce, it means you complied with my wishes and was willing to sacrifice Miss Evershed's life for that of thousands of people. What you didn't realise is that your fate is one worse than mine. Instead of having to live with the knowledge that you murdered the woman you love, you will have to live on knowing that she is alive and well, but cannot stand the sight of you. You see, there was never any VX gas. And I replaced the real bullets in the gun I gave you with blanks. But you've probably figured that out by now. Has she told you she hates you yet? Because she will Mr Pearce. Perhaps now you will know real pain, much worse than that which you inflicted upon me. Goodbye Mr Pearce, and send Miss Evershed my regards._

Harry's blood ran cold as the message finished and the screen faded to black. He closed the lid of the laptop and slumped into the chair beside him. In his mind he began to think of what he would say to Ruth when she woke up, but nothing he thought of could do it justice. The fact was, he had been prepared to kill her, and no amount of grovelling or explaining was going to change that. Fiddling with the engagement ring on his finger, he wondered glumly how much longer it would be there for.

'Harry...'

His head shot up at the unexpected noise and he was beside Ruth in a flash.

'Ruth...Ruth can you hear me? Sweetheart, look at me.' Harry pleaded with Ruth, cradling her head in his hands. She looked so disorientated and in pain but eventually her eyes met his. He watched the emotions play out on her face as she remembered the events that led up to their current situation and his heart sank when she looked at him with such fear in her eyes.

'You...you...I thought you were going to...how did you...?'

'Sssshhh I'll explain everything but let's get you to a hospital now to get checked out.' Harry urged.

Ruth resisted his attempts at getting her to stand, wriggling out of his grasp.

'No. I don't need a hospital. I need you to tell me why you were going to murder me yet I'm still alive.'

The anger in her voice cut through Harry's heart like a knife, but the way she jerked away from his touch when he reached out for her hurt even more. Silently he reached for the laptop and reopened it, playing the video again for Ruth. He watched her face as she listened to Delpierre again explaining his actions. When the video had finished he sat down on the chair opposite Ruth and waited patiently for her to say something. When she was still silent after a minute he chanced a glance in her direction and saw her still staring shocked at the now blank laptop screen.

'You were going to do it.' She whispered.

'Ruth, I had no choice. I didn't know he was bluffing.'

'Well I told you he was, wasn't that good enough for you?' She snapped back, her voice rising in anger.

Harry sighed and dropped his head into his hands. This conversation wasn't going to be pretty for either of them.

'Pulling that trigger, it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. Knowing you were about to die and that I would be the cause of it? I think I would probably have followed you soon after to be perfectly honest. I couldn't go on living with the knowledge that I had murdered you. But surely you have to understand Ruth, I couldn't risk all those lives. You remember when we did the EERIE exercise. You came up with the predictions for loss of life yourself. You know the devastation that weapon can cause. Please Ruth, please try to understand.'

Harry by now was on his knees in front of Ruth. His hands rubbed up and down her thighs and he was just glad she wasn't pushing him away. She seemed deep in thought as she studied his face intently and he would have given his life savings to know what she was thinking at that very moment. When she spoke, her voice was eerily calm and he hung on her every word.

'You know, I always thought that if this situation ever arose, I would be the brave one and urge you to do the right thing. But every time I imagined that scenario, not once did I ever think we would actually be together and engaged when it happened. In my mind we would have always continued to dance around the subject, and not having known you as my lover would always have made it easier to allow you to sacrifice me. But in that moment, when you pointed that gun at me, I realised I didn't want to die. Not when I've known you as Harry the lover, Harry the fiancé. I didn't want to give that up. I know that's incredibly selfish and so unlike me, but I'd only just found you Harry, I wasn't ready to die yet.'

Harry was speechless. There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn't figure out in his head how to articulate his thoughts. His hands grasped Ruth's tightly and she immediately tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her.

'It's not selfish to want to carry on living Ruth. But if that VX gas had been real, and Laurent had released it thousands of people would have died. Could you have lived with that guilt? I'm not sure I could. I was doomed either way. I still am I suppose.'

Harry choked back the tears as Ruth continued to try and free her hands, and he let them go reluctantly. She rose from the chair and moved to lean against the kitchen counter, needing to put some space between them. As she looked at the man she loved kneeling on their kitchen floor crying, she was torn. Making a decision, she crossed the room and knelt beside him. She tugged on his chin to get him to look at her and the pain she saw in his eyes broke her heart. Silently she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. It wasn't like before though. Her stomach didn't do flips at the contact, her hands didn't shake. It didn't feel like a thousand volts of electricity running through her body. She felt nervous and unsure. Pulling away, she shifted further away from him on the floor.

'I'm sorry Harry, I can't. All I can think about is you with that...that gun. I look at you or I touch you and I don't see Harry my fiancé anymore, all I can see is Harry the man who was willing to kill me. I'm sorry Harry, I need to go. I'll see you at work on Monday.'

Harry didn't have the energy to get up off the floor and stop her. He stared after her retreating form as sobs wracked his body. When he heard the door slam shut he laid down on the hard surface of the floor and stared listlessly at the ceiling for hours until sleep finally took him.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Once again you were all so kind in your reviews. They really encourage me to write faster. Also, it's been a while since I put a disclaimer at the beginning of any of my chapters, and what with all the kerfuffle in the US at the moment, I'd like to say that Spooks and all it's characters belong to Kudos. I am simply borrowing them :)**

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><p>It had been a very long Sunday for Harry. He had tried calling Ruth numerous times but each time it rang straight through to her answer phone. A few discreetly placed calls to the grid had allowed him to find out she was staying with Jo, and he was at least glad that she was safe. Monday morning found him standing before his, no, <em>their<em> bathroom mirror inspecting his tired face and newly ironed attire. His nerves at seeing Ruth this morning were akin to that of a teenage boy going on a first date. He didn't know what to expect when he saw her. Would she have had a change of heart by now? Or would she still be unable to look him in the eye? Realising that standing in the bathroom all day would be unlikely to answer his questions, he pulled himself together and left the house.

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><p>Ruth was having similar problems at Jo's flat. She had only grabbed a small bag's worth of clothes before leaving their home late on Saturday night, and nothing she tried on now seemed right. It wasn't that she was trying to impress him, she just wanted to look smart for work. <em>Yeah right<em> she thought to herself, _you keep telling yourself that_. She heard Jo hollering for her from downstairs and took one last look in the mirror before grabbing her bag and leaving for work.

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><p>By the time Ruth and Jo arrived at Thames House Harry was already safely ensconced in his office. Ruth looked longingly at the closed blinds as she removed her jacket and powered up her computer. Jo couldn't help but notice her gaze and felt sorry for her friend.<p>

'Ruth, whatever it is he's done, I'm sure you can work it out.' Jo offered hopefully.

Ruth sighed and fiddled with her engagement ring. She hadn't gone into any specifics with Jo, not knowing if Harry wanted to follow up on finding Delpierre or just keep it between them. All she had said was that they had had an argument and she needed somewhere to stay for a few days.

'Jo, I just want to do my work here and go home. I've got an appointment with the estate agent today to see about taking my flat back off the market, so I'll be out of your hair in a couple of days.' Ruth insisted.

Jo looked surprised to hear this news. She had expected the two of them to have made up by the end of the day.

'Ruth, come on. This is you and Harry. You wanted this for years. I saw the way you looked at him after he proposed. You're welcome in my flat for as long as you like. Just don't make any rash decisions. Please? For me?'

Ruth couldn't resist Jo's pleading face and reluctantly nodded.

'Alright, but I'll need to go and get more stuff at some point this week.'

Jo smiled triumphantly and patted Ruth on the back.

'That's the spirit. Tonight we can get drunk, eat chocolate and watch Love Actually whilst moaning about the lack of good men in this world.'

This finally brought a smile to Ruth's face and Jo got to work on her post mission report, glad that she had managed to cheer Ruth up a little.

* * *

><p>Harry watched Ruth talking with Jo through a tiny crack in his blinds. He had seen her looking in his direction and it made his heart skip a beat to know she was at least thinking of him. He was disappointed that she didn't come and speak to him, though it was to be expected he supposed. Ruth smiled at something Jo had said before the two women got to work, and it made him ache to know she seemed happy enough despite the events of the weekend. He sat down in his large comfortable chair and debated whether or not it was too early for a whiskey. He looked long and hard at the bottle before deciding to pass; Ruth wouldn't approve.<p>

Deciding he couldn't very well spend all day in his office, he took a deep breath and made his way onto the grid. Ruth immediately looked up at the sound of his footsteps approaching and looked startled, as if she wasn't quite sure what she would say to him. She needn't have worried though, because instead of coming to her desk, Harry left through the pods without a word in hers or Jo's direction. The two women shared a confused glance. Tariq and Ros weren't in yet so they were the only two left on the grid, and it was odd that Harry would leave without telling them where he was going. Before either could voice their confusion, Harry returned promptly, followed by a young man with extremely good looks and short brown hair.

'WOW.' Jo exclaimed in an excited whisper. 'Who is _that_?'

Ruth looked up from her screen with disinterest at the newcomer who had now followed Harry into the briefing room.

'Who? I wasn't really looking.'

Jo sighed dramatically as she waved her hands in the air.

'Oh come on Ruth. I know you're all in a tizz over Harry but you're not a nun. Surely you noticed the 6ft tall walking piece of hunk that just passed before us?'

Ruth simply shrugged, causing Jo to become even more exasperated.

'Well, I'm going to find out who he is. Come on.'

Jo practically dragged Ruth out of her chair and they made their way to the briefing room. Tariq and Ros were just coming through the pods as the two women passed them and Jo frantically waved at them to follow.

'Come on, there's a beautiful man in there with Harry and I want to know who he is!'

Ros and Tariq shared a look before following simply because they had nothing better to do.

'Oh goody, competition.' Tariq declared with a smile.

The four of them loitered outside the briefing room, Jo too nervous to knock and enter in case the two men were discussing something important. Eventually Ros got impatient and pushed her way to the front of the group.

'Let's get this over and done with shall we? I'm sure there's some real work in need of attention somewhere.'

She slid the briefing room doors open and the four of them stood expectantly at the threshold. Harry and the mysterious newcomer were sat on opposite sides of the table with various files and paperwork between them. They both looked up at the interruption and the young man flashed a winning smile at them all. He stood and offered out his hand to the nearest person, who just happened to be Jo. She took it and shook eagerly, blushing profusely at the same time.

'Hello. I'm Dimitri Levendis, your new Intelligence Officer.'

* * *

><p>After Dimitri had been introduced to the rest of the team Harry had set them all to work trying to dig up information on an up and coming businessman who had seemingly made his millions in less than honest ways. Ruth was busy scanning file after file and business deals when she felt a presence beside her. Looking up she found Dimitri leaning against her desk smiling.<p>

'So, Ruth Evershed, what do you do for fun around here?' Dimitri enquired.

Ruth looked back to her screen and continued to flick through pages of endless boring script.

'I don't do fun.' She snapped.

Dimitri continued on, unperturbed by her frosty response.

'Well then, how about I show you what a former SBS officer does for fun tonight? You won't lose any limbs, I promise.' Dimitri grinned widely, not noticing Jo watching with interest from across the desks.

Ruth stopped typing at that and stood up suddenly.

'I told you, I don't do fun.' She made her escape by almost running to the rows of filing cabinets on the other side of the grid and Dimitri watched her go with confusion.

'You know, for an Intelligence Officer, you really aren't that intelligent.' Jo piped up. At Dimitri's questioning glance she elaborated. 'Check out her left hand.'

Dimitri looked across the room at Ruth, who had buried her head in one of the drawers of the cabinets and immediately noticed the large engagement ring. He looked sheepishly over at Jo.

'Oops?'

Jo motioned over towards Ruth again and they both watched as Harry approached her cautiously.

'Now look at _Harry's_ left hand.' Jo prompted.

Dimitri again looked over and his face paled when his gaze fell upon Harry's left hand.

'Ah.' He said.

'Ah, indeed.' Jo replied, laughing.

* * *

><p>Harry approached Ruth slowly, unsure if his presence would be welcomed. She seemed busy searching for something in the filing cabinet and he could hear her cursing under her breath as she rummaged through endless archived files. Eventually she seemed to find what she was looking for, tugging it from the drawer and holding it aloft triumphantly. It was only when she noticed Harry stood near her looking extremely nervous that the smile disappeared from her face.<p>

'Harry. I um...I might have a lead on this businessman. Give me 10 minutes and I'll have a report on your desk.'

Ruth tried to return to her desk but Harry grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

'Ruth...can we talk about this? Please?'

She closed her eyes as the touch of Harry's hand on her wrist brought conflicting emotions. She had missed him terribly yesterday and the feel of his skin against hers excited her without her even realising it. But she still could not shake the image of Harry pointing a gun at her and firing it whenever she was around him. The previous night she had woken from a nightmare whereby Harry had indeed shot her and had stood over her laughing and taunting her as she lay bleeding to death. It was irrational she knew, but she couldn't help it.

'You'll have the report in 10 minutes Harry.'

She returned to her desk leaving a very dejected Harry staring after her.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later and Ruth was sat, report in hand, biting her lip nervously. She needed to give it to Harry but she knew if she went into his office he would try to talk to her about their relationship, and she didn't think she was ready to do that yet. Deciding to bite the bullet, she walked to Harry's office and entered without knocking as usual. On her entrance, Harry looked up.<p>

'It's nice to see not everything's changed between us.' Harry spoke softly and she knew he was trying to lighten the mood, which she appreciated. She placed the report on his desk and was fully prepared to leave without saying a word when he spoke again.

'If I could go back and change my decision, I would Ruth.'

'No, you wouldn't. And I wouldn't want you to either.' Ruth replied. On Harry's confused look she elaborated.

'I understand Harry, I really do. You did the right thing. But that doesn't stop me from feeling the way I do. I wish I could help it but I can't. I...I can't.'

Her eyes were shining with unshed tears and Harry moved from behind his desk to stand close to her. He raised his hand to caress her upper arm but seemed to change his mind at the last minute and dropped it limply to his side. She began fiddling with her engagement ring and Harry felt physically ill when she slipped it off her finger.

'I think...' Ruth began, her voice wavering. She took a moment to compose herself before continuing. 'I think...maybe you should have this back.'

She slipped it completely off her finger and placed it gently in Harry's shaking hands. The touch reminded him of the moment so many years ago when they had met in secret on the bus to exchange information. That had been a much happier moment than this one. He grasped the hard metal in his hand and looked pleadingly at Ruth.

'Ruth, I love you. What can I do to make things better?'

Ruth sighed and rubbed her hands over her face, distraught.

'I'm not sure that you can Harry.'

* * *

><p>'Oh, this is my favourite part. Look Ruth! It's so sweet.'<p>

Jo looked over at Ruth when she didn't respond to find she wasn't even looking at the TV screen.

'Ruth, come on. This is the most romantic scene of the film. What I wouldn't give for that man to turn up on my doorstep declaring his love for me like that!'

Ruth simply nodded and Jo decided enough was enough. She reached for the remote and paused the DVD. Shifting on the sofa to face Ruth she sat waiting impatiently. When Ruth still didn't talk Jo tried prompting her.

'Ruth. What happened? You're walking around like a zombie. It might help you to talk about it.'

Ruth took a large gulp of her wine before setting it down and turning to face her friend.

'Harry...I mean...we...we were attacked at home at the weekend. It was some man with a grudge against Harry. He wanted him to choose. Harry had to kill me or...or the man would release two canisters of VX gas in Greater London.'

Jo's sharp intake of breath was enough to let Ruth know she was shocked.

'Well, you're still here now. So he must have chosen you right? So what's the problem? Wait...there was no VX gas attack either. How did you stop them?'

Ruth choked back a sob then, the emotion of having to re-live the story becoming too much.

'We didn't. Harry shot at me, but the bullets were blanks. This man, Laurent, he just wanted to ruin mine and Harry's relationship. To cause Harry pain. He's gone now, God knows where.'

'RUTH!'

Ruth almost fell off the sofa in shock at Jo's loud exclamation. She didn't have a chance to query her friend's outburst before Jo continued.

'What on earth are you playing at? You're going to let this man win? You're giving him exactly what he wants by pushing Harry away! And while we're on the subject, where the bloody hell is your engagement ring?'

Ruth began crying in earnest then, and Jo decided against saying anything further. She simply held her friend, rubbing her back soothingly until there were no more tears to cry.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Just a little warning, this gets M rated right near the end!**

* * *

><p>Ruth sat at her desk biting her lip nervously. Jo's advice from the previous night was running through her head. After she had finally stopped crying the two of them had talked through most the night about Harry and what had happened with Delpierre. Jo had encouraged her to make things right with Harry, but she was still unsure. There had been no more nightmares since the first night but she still felt uneasy around Harry. And she didn't know if he would even take her back after she had returned the engagement ring to him yesterday. She looked at the empty space on her finger where it was supposed to sit and wished she had done things differently.<p>

Harry watched Ruth from behind his blinds as she seemed to be having an internal debate with herself over something. Her gaze was alternating between his office and her hands and she seemed to be fidgeting in her seat. Neither of them were going to get any work done like this, so he moved to his door and popped his head out.

'Ruth, a word please if you don't mind.'

He watched as she looked around startled before standing and making her way towards him. She always looked so beautiful to him and he seemed to have developed a permanent ache in his chest that could only have been caused by her absence from his life. He moved aside to let her into his office and sat beside her on the sofa, careful not to sit too close.

'Ruth...I know this is a stupid question to ask, but are you OK?' Harry enquired, bracing himself for a snappy response.

'Are you looking for him?' Her reply confused him and it showed in his facial expression.

'What?'

'Are you looking for Laurent Delpierre?' She tried again.

Harry took a deep breath and looked away from Ruth as he felt anger at the man's name surge through him. He took a moment to compose himself before answering her question.

'I...no I'm not. He's already done enough damage. I didn't want to provoke him any further. Is that alright with you?'

Ruth sighed and looked Harry in the eye for the first time since she had entered his office.

'That's not like you. Normally you would have hunted him down and killed him by now.'

There was no malice in Ruth's statement. They both knew this was the type of man Harry was, and it didn't stop her from loving him.

'Yes, well, my outlook on life has...changed somewhat the last couple of days.' Harry tried not to sound bitter but did not succeed. Ruth picked up on his tone of voice and felt annoyance rising inside of her.

'I'm not asking you to change Harry. That's not the man I lo...' Ruth stopped herself when she realised what she was about to say and changed the end of her sentence, hoping Harry hadn't noticed. 'That's not the man I know.'

Indeed Harry had noticed what she had been about to say and was buoyed by it. It gave him hope that one day she would forgive him. They had taken 6 years to get to the point of being engaged after all, he could wait a while longer. He decided not to push her on that right now, and instead carried on with the subject of Delpierre.

'If you want me to, I will find him and have him taken out. I just...haven't had the energy to do anything the last couple of days.'

Ruth looked at Harry when his voice wavered, her own emotions beginning to get the better of her. She hadn't properly looked at him since the weekend and he looked tired and hungry. She worried that he wasn't taking care of himself and before she knew what she was doing she had taken one of his hands in her own.

'Harry, when was the last time you slept or ate?' She asked gently.

The contact and concern for him startled Harry and she could feel him shaking nervously from her touch. When he simply shrugged she squeezed his hand before reluctantly letting go.

'I'll come by tonight and make you some dishes you can freeze. I don't want you neglecting yourself just because...well, you know...because we aren't getting on right now.'

He looked hopefully at her and she couldn't help but feel pure love for him at that moment. He looked so broken and vulnerable and she berated herself silently for putting him through this. Something Jo had said the previous night suddenly popped into her head.

'_You're going to let this man win? You're giving him exactly what he wants by pushing Harry away.'_

Pushing her feelings of fear and anger to the back of her mind, she reached over and took Harry's hand again. When he looked up at her she smiled and stroked his skin with her thumb. The moment was broken by a knock at the office door. They broke apart as Dimitri entered, files in hand.

'Sorry to interrupt, but we've had a red flash from GCHQ. Imminent terror threat from AQ. All hands on deck.'

* * *

><p>'Slow down Alpha Two, you're too close. He'll make you.' Ruth ordered<p>

'Don't worry control, I've got everything, well...under control.' Dimitri replied, giggling at his own joke.

Ruth shared a look of frustration with Tariq and didn't bother replying. Dimitri was eager in the field and there was nothing they could do about it from here. She watched as his flashing icon on the screen got ever closer to their target. Looking over the map, she saw Ros' signal was still quite far away.

'Alpha One, you may want to speed things up a bit. Alpha Two is quite eager.'

'Like a child in a sweet shop no doubt.' Ros replied. 'I know a shortcut. Stand by control.'

Ruth watched as the two flashing icons closed in from opposite sides on the large red dot, indicating their terror suspect. The map showed Ros and Dimitri were within 100 metres of the target when suddenly all three dots disappeared from the screen. Harry leaned over her suddenly, his hand on her shoulder. He pulled it back quickly when he realised what he had done.

'Sorry...force of habit.' He sounded embarrassed and had started to blush. His hand had moved instead to the back of her chair. 'What...erm...what's going on?'

Ruth flashed him a half smile to let him know she wasn't bothered by the contact and concentrated on the screen.

'Alpha One, Alpha Two, please make contact. Status update Alpha One and Two.'

Again there was silence and the three of them watched helplessly as they waited in vain for any contact. Jo chose that point to come running over from her own desk, mobile phone in hand. She had been working on the businessman they were currently investigating and Harry dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

'Not now Jo, we're having some trouble here.'

Jo waved her mobile in the air like a weapon and Harry turned to face her.

'I know, I know. That was my mother. She was shopping in the East End. That's where Dimitri and Ros are right? She just said there was an explosion inside a building on the main high street.'

* * *

><p>Harry shrugged his coat on as he walked quickly towards the pods, Jo matching him stride for stride. Ruth met them at the pods with communications devices.<p>

'Reports are sketchy, but it appears the device was detonated inside an old disused warehouse. Still no contact from Ros or Dimitri. The local police are on scene now and have cordoned the area off. They are searching the building as we speak. I'll let you know of any further updates en route.' Ruth finished her report and handed the devices to Jo and Harry. As they left via separate pods she called after them.

'Be careful!'

* * *

><p>'Harry Pearce, head of Section D, Security Services. This is my colleague Jo Portman. What do we have?'<p>

The policeman had been talking to a colleague as Harry interrupted and he waited impatiently for them to finish.

'Mr Pearce. It appears a small device was detonated in the lower basement of the building. The structure is sound and so far my men have only pulled out one body. You say you had two agents following a target? I'm going to need you to ID the body. I'll warn you now, he's pretty messed up.'

Harry felt a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He picked up on the use of the word 'he' and felt relief that it could not be Ros he was about to identify. Motioning for Jo to stay put, he approached the ambulance and pulled back the sheet in a swift motion. A huge sigh of relief escaped his lips when his eyes fell upon the bloodied and broken body of a man he didn't recognise. He immediately turned to the officer in charge of the recovery operation.

'He is not my officer. Get looking quickly. They must still be in there.'

The policeman nodded and left Harry standing with Jo so that he could return to the search. Harry plucked his phone from his jacket pocket and dialled the grid.

'Ruth, I'm going to send you a fingerprint, work up what you can from it please. There's still no sign of Ros or Dimitri. Me and Jo will stay here until they are found.'

Harry hung up and moved back towards the body of the bomber. He used the fingerprint scanner Tariq had provided him with and e-mailed the result to Ruth. Soon they would know who this man was and why he had chosen to blow up this inconspicuous building.

* * *

><p>'They're here! They're here! Help me!' Harry heard a shout come from inside the building and he raced over to the commotion, Jo not far behind him. They reached a pile of rubble in the back room and saw three men trying to lift a large piece of concrete off the top of some machinery. He could just make out Ros's blonde hair underneath the mess and he got stuck in straight away, heaving the concrete out of the way.<p>

Once it was lifted, both Ros and Dimitri were in full view. They were both unconscious and Harry watched helplessly as the paramedics checked them over. He could hear Jo in the background on the phone and he assumed she was updating Ruth and Tariq back at Thames House. Following the paramedics, he grabbed one by the arm once his two officers were safely inside the ambulance.

'How are they?' He asked.

'Cuts and bruises but nothing serious. We'll take them to get checked out anyway, but they should be fine.' The paramedic nodded at Harry and rushed off to the passenger seat of the ambulance. Harry watched as they drove off before getting into his car and returning to Thames House.

* * *

><p>'I just got off the phone with the hospital. Ros and Dimitri are fine. They are both awake and alert. I spoke with Ros for a moment. It seems the bomber got wind of them following him and panicked. He found the nearest building and detonated himself to avoid being taken.'<p>

Ruth stood awkwardly at the entrance to Harry's office as she spoke. She saw the relief in his eyes as she delivered her news. Moving further inside, she sat down opposite him and began fiddling with her blouse.

'Listen, Harry...I know it's been a long day. I understand if you don't want to but...I'd still like to come over and make you those meals. If...you want me to, of course.'

For the first time that day Harry smiled and nodded. He put on his coat and they left the grid together.

* * *

><p>Harry watched Ruth from his seat at the kitchen table as she fussed over his oven. There were bowls and various ingredients all over his kitchen counters and he smirked when she knocked a carrot onto the floor and Scarlett quickly snatched it up before making an escape.<p>

'Scarlett!' Ruth shouted. As she turned to try and chase the dog she noticed Harry laughing and waved the spoon in his direction. 'I suppose you find this funny don't you.'

Harry simply nodded and took another sip of his wine. He tried to top up Ruth's glass but she stopped him by putting her hand over the top.

'No...thank you Harry. But I have to drive home.'

Her statement reminded him that she no longer lived in their house and there was an awkward silence during which the both of them reflected on whether or not this was a good idea. At Harry's hurt expression, Ruth relented and moved her hand away.

'What the hell, I'll get a taxi.'

* * *

><p><strong>(Insert M rated warning here)<strong>

'So then, I got woken up at 3am by Jo's _friend_ knocking over one of the plants in the living room! The next morning he walked in on me brushing my teeth in the bathroom. I've never seen a man look so scared in his entire life!'

Harry chuckled at Ruth's story. By now they had consumed three bottles of wine between them and she was opening up to him in her drunken state. They had settled into a comfortable silence when Ruth noticed something over his shoulder.

'Oh, look at the time. I should be getting back. Jo will wonder where I've got to.'

Ruth tried to stand but wobbled and Harry moved quickly to steady her. It was the first time since their separation that he had held her in his arms and he didn't want to let go. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment until Ruth motioned towards the hallway.

'I'll just uh...go and get my coat and call a taxi.'

Harry followed her wordlessly and watched as she tried to put on her coat, getting her arms tangled in the material. He tried to help her but she slipped and fell against him. The feeling of her breasts as she breathed heavily against him was too much. Their faces were only millimetres apart and it was all he could do not to kiss her. When she pressed her lips against his in a hungry kiss he didn't respond to begin with.

It was only when she pushed him roughly against the wall that he kissed her back. He tugged the coat back off of her arms quickly as they kissed furiously. Tongues explored mouths and it wasn't long before she felt Harry's arousal pressing against her leg. Without saying a word, she unzipped his trousers and reached inside. He groaned and flipped them so that Ruth was now pinned against the wall. Wrapping one of her legs around his waist, Harry reached down and hitched Ruth's skirt up to reveal her black satin underwear. Not wanting to waste time removing them, he simply pulled them to one side and entered her without warning. She moaned at the unexpectedness of it, but soon felt pleasure coursing through her as he thrust into her hard and fast over and over again. It was only a couple of minutes before they climaxed together, crying out at the same time.

Harry watched as Ruth adjusted her clothes in silence. He wanted to ask her to stay but the words just wouldn't leave his mouth.

'I'd better go now Harry. I'll call a taxi from the end of the street. I'll...see you in the morning.'

Harry watched her put on her coat, having sobered up somewhat by now, and finally found his voice when she was halfway out the door.

'Ruth...wait. I...I don't want you to go.'

She paused, one hand on the door handle before walking back to his position inside the house. Leaning up she kissed him gently on the cheek before whispering in his ear.

'Just give me some time Harry.'

With that she was gone and he spent a good while staring at his closed front door, fingertips brushing the spot on his cheek where he could still feel her lips.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Lots of reviews for the previous chapter. Thank you so very much. I hope this one lives up to expectations. As always, I don't own Spooks or any characters. But I did make up McIntosh and Hillman myself!**

* * *

><p>Harry watched as Ruth flicked her hair back and laughed, anger rising inside him without him even realising. The man, some analyst from Section B, said something that must have been funny because Ruth laughed again, this time squeezing the man's arm. He clenched his fists as he watched them through the blinds in his office. It had been three days since their encounter at his house and they had barely spoken since then. This was down to work rather than anything else; yet another imminent terror threat coming between them. Things had quietened down today; the businessman they had been investigating for a week now the only case currently ongoing.<p>

Harry had hoped today he could speak to Ruth properly. He wanted to ask her over for dinner again, not with the intention of it ending the way it had the other night, but simply to spend more time with her outside of work. She had said to give her time, but he was hopeful that she would still be willing to spend time with him as just friends.

But now, here was Ruth stood in the middle of the grid, flirting with a man he didn't recognise right in his eye line. She must have known he could see them. Maybe this was her way of letting him know it was over for good. The final straw came when the man reached over and pulled an imaginary piece of dust off Ruth's blouse. Without thinking, Harry stormed out of his office and over to them.

'I think there's work to be done somewhere isn't there Ruth? It's time you were going son.'

Harry practically pushed the man towards the pods, despite his and Ruth's protests. Once he was safely off the grid Harry turned back to Ruth and was surprised to see her waiting expectantly, tapping her foot.

'What the hell was that Harry?' She asked angrily.

He motioned to his office, not wanting to have this conversation in front of everybody else. Once the door was safely closed he poured himself a large whiskey.

'I know we never spoke about the other night Ruth. And I respect your decision if you've decided it's over between us. But I would appreciate it if you gave my feelings some thought and didn't parade your new man in front of me like that.'

Ruth looked shocked and didn't speak for some time. Harry began to wonder if he had misread the situation somehow. Then an image of Ruth squeezing the man's arm and looking happier than she had done in days flashed before him and he couldn't imagine having misread anything at all.

'You'll need to fill out the relevant paperwork if you want to continue seeing him.'

This seemed to provoke Ruth into some sort of response, and she waved her hands angrily at him.

'Dammit Harry! You...you _stupid_ man!'

Ruth punctuated her point by thumping Harry's chest in frustration. He tried to catch her wrists when she attempted to hit him again and she continued to rant at him.

'That was Michael McIntosh. Don't you listen to _any_ gossip around here? I'm not dating him. He's _gay_ for crying out loud. He was giving me fashion advice!' Ruth had begun to shriek and Harry was feeling more and more stupid by the second. She was still trying to hit his chest so he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him to stop her blows. She struggled for a moment but stilled when he spoke.

'I'm sorry Ruth. I am an idiot. I just got jealous. We've not spoken since...you know...and I just miss you so much.'

They looked intensely at each other, Ruth gripping Harry's biceps tightly with his hands on her waist. They both moved forwards at the same time and the kiss was passionate and hot. Harry's hands found their way up Ruth's body and over her shoulders to cup her cheeks. Their tongues fought for dominance until finally the need for oxygen became too great.

'You shouldn't be jealous Harry. I told you, I just need time.' Ruth whispered.

He shook his head slowly, not wanting to break their contact just yet.

'I'll try not to.'

The flashing on Harry's computer screen highlighting an incoming e-mail drew both of their attentions and reluctantly Harry drew away from her to read it. The further down the message he got, the bigger his frown became. Once he had finally reached the bottom he looked up at Ruth, worry etched on his face.

'Red flash the entire team, we've got a problem.'

* * *

><p>'Harry, as Section Chief I would seriously advise against this.' Ros warned.<p>

Harry looked from Ros to the rest of his team in the briefing room, their expressions all matching Ros' look of concern. He sighed and sat down in the nearest chair.

'I understand Ros, but none of you are old enough to have the background to fit the required legend. I'm the only one who can go in undercover here.'

When nobody dared speak up, Harry continued further.

'Listen, this businessman, Ian Hillman, we are sure he's planning on trading arms with an Arabic country in order to support a war, yes? Well then, we must stop him. There's no other option really is there? I'll pose as an arms dealer wanting to broker the deal. I'll get into his office and download his hard drive. Then we'll know what we are dealing with.'

He looked around the room again and his team looked uncomfortable at his plan. He didn't take offence that they might not be confident in his skills in the field; he knew they were worried about sending a high ranking officer into such a dangerous mission. Ruth looked particularly disturbed and he took comfort from that.

'Harry, if you're going to do this, we'll need to put certain safeguards in place. We should begin as soon as possible.' Ros stated.

Harry nodded and left the room, indicating the end of the briefing.

* * *

><p>'Alright Alpha One, signal is receiving loud and clear. Alpha Two and Three are in position. Ready to go when you are. And...be careful.' Ruth couldn't resist her last comment, her nerves getting the better of her.<p>

She listened intently as Harry spoke with the receptionist at Hillman's company and was led up to his office. The plan was for Ros and Jo, who were also in the field, to create a phony break-in that would require Hillman to leave Harry alone in his office, thus giving him time to access his computer. Tariq would manipulate the CCTV from the grid beside Ruth, and Dimitri was watching with them, ready to go should the plan go awry.

Ruth heard Harry's codeword in his conversation that he was ready to act, and she signalled to Ros and Jo to begin the break-in. She watched along with Tariq and Dimitri as Hillman went along with the plan, following his security advisor down to the main entrance. Harry moved quickly, downloading the hard drive onto a portable memory stick and browsing some key files while he waited. He paused when he came across something that caught his attention.

'Oh, God.' He said it to himself, but Ruth heard him over the comms and became worried.

'What is it Alpha One? Alpha One?'

Harry realised Ruth was almost shouting in his ear and he explained quickly.

'This is worse than we imagined. Hillman is planning an arms deal, but it's for biological weapons. And the deal is going ahead tonight. We must stop this.'

Ruth shared a look with Tariq that was interrupted when her screen started beeping at her.

'Harry, get out of there. Hillman's on his way back.' Ruth forgot protocol in her hurry but Harry didn't pick her up on it. He retrieved his equipment and made for the door.

* * *

><p>'Ruth, we have a problem.' Dimitri spoke quickly, having just got off the phone. 'The Home Secretary does not want us to risk losing this deal and the weapons. He's told us to order CO19 to storm the warehouse now. We have to get Harry out of there.'<p>

Ruth turned immediately back to her screen and tried to contact all three field officers. Ros and Jo replied straight away, informing her of their status; they were holding just outside the main compound with the Special Branch officers. There was no word from Harry.

'Alpha One, respond. Pull out immediately. Please acknowledge Alpha One.' Ruth became more and more desperate as time went on and they didn't hear off Harry.

'Ruth, we have to send CO19 in now. If we lose these bio weapons...' Dimitri was insistent behind her but sympathetic, knowing that if they sent in CO19 while Harry was still in there, he'd likely be shot.

Ruth was silent as Tariq continued to try to reach Harry, but there was still no response. Images of their encounter with Delpierre flashed through her mind. _So this is what it feels like_ she thought to herself. She was going to have to put Harry's life over that of others, or she was going to have to send him to almost certain death. She realised what pain Harry must have been going through when he had to make the same decision for her.

'Ruth, you _have_ to make this decision. You're the ranking officer here.' Dimitri urged her quietly.

She shook her head and reached for the phone, dialling the number for the CO19 lead field officer off by heart.

* * *

><p>'Has there been any word from Harry yet?' Ruth asked, almost hysterical. It had been three minutes since she had ordered CO19 to storm the building, and they were still clearing rooms. Tariq shook his head solemnly and she turned back to her screen, trying to fight back the tears.<p>

Out of nowhere, a crackling sound began over her headset and she quickly adjusted the frequency to try and even out the distortion. Unbelievable relief flooded her senses when Harry's voice came over the line.

'Control, this is Alpha One. Sorry for the lack of communication. I ran into a spot of bother getting out of the building. What did I miss?'

Ruth could no longer hold back her tears and she ripped her headset off before running to the toilets.

* * *

><p>Harry came through the pods and was met immediately by the entire team. Ruth looked especially glad to see him, which pleased him no end. He made a beeline for his office and indicated for her to follow him. On the way he instructed Ros to begin the debrief without them. At least that way he knew they wouldn't get interrupted. Once Ruth was seated on the sofa inside his office he poured her a whiskey, as well as a hefty one for himself and sat beside her.<p>

'I understand you had to make a difficult decision today.' He began. When she merely nodded he continued. 'It was the correct decision Ruth.'

Ruth sighed and took a sip of her drink.

'When I made that decision, all I could think about was that if you died I would never be able to forgive myself. I know how you must have felt now.'

The silence was awkward as they both drank their drink. Harry moved his hand to place it over Ruth's leg but thought better of it at the last minute when he noticed her tense up. He decided to broach the subject of what had happened between them at his house.

'Ruth...about the other night. I want you to know, I don't expect...I mean...whatever you want to do. That's fine by me. I mean, if you regret it...' He trailed off, knowing he wasn't making much sense.

Ruth took one of Harry's hands in her own, mirroring their actions of that morning.

'Harry...I could never regret anything that happens between us. But I'm just not ready to...to...God, what is wrong with me? I'm being so stupid.'

Harry forced Ruth to look at him before speaking.

'Ruth, you are _not_ stupid. You can't help how you feel. I made a terrible decision and put my job before your life. I...can't promise I wouldn't do the same again either. Whatever decision you make, I will respect it.' Harry finished by kissing Ruth gently on the cheek. He lingered close to her face hoping she would turn and capture his lips with her own but she resisted so he moved back towards the far end of the sofa to give her some space.

When she finished her drink she stood and prepared to leave. Harry caught her by the arm and began fishing around in his pocket. He pressed her engagement ring into her hand and spoke before she could protest.

'Ruth...I want you to keep it. I don't expect you to wear it of course...but I bought it for you. There'll never be anybody else for me. I only hope that one day, you might be willing to put it back on.'

Ruth looked at Harry while she contemplated his statement, before finally slipping the ring into her pocket and leaving Harry's office without another word.


	21. Chapter 21

As Ruth was typing she felt rather than heard Harry approach her desk. When he didn't immediately say anything she turned in her chair to face him.

'Something you want or need Harry?'

Harry refrained from saying 'You' with great difficulty. Instead he handed her a file and waited silently as she read the contents.

'Harry, I don't understand.' Ruth announced, after having read the three documents inside the file.

Harry pulled up the chair from Jo's empty desk and sat beside Ruth. He reopened the file and pulled the documents from it one at a time, explaining them as he did.

'This...' Out came the first document. '...is my letter of resignation. I'm tired of this job. It only ever takes from me.'

Ruth nodded slowly as Harry took out the second piece of paper.

'This is my last act as Section Head. This is your request for extended leave being granted. Five weeks away from Thames House to do as you please.'

'But Harry, I didn't...'

'Ah, let me finish. _This..._' Harry snagged the final document from the file and placed it nervously before Ruth. '_This..._um, well this is my Grand Tour, on paper. I know you haven't made a decision about _us_ yet, and that's fine. But I was hoping, that since I'm going to have rather a lot of time on my hands now, that you might consider...coming with me?' Harry paused, unsure if he should continue. Ruth sensed he had more to say and urged him on by squeezing his hand. 'I thought...maybe if we spent some time together without the pressures of the grid...you might remember why you um...you know, fell in love with me.'

Ruth was speechless. Harry hadn't given any indication that he had been planning this. He had given her the engagement ring back almost a week ago, and since then she had taken it out and inspected it every night, wondering why she hadn't yet put it back on. She had been planning to ask Harry out to dinner at the weekend too, but the longer she left it, the more nervous she became. She stared down at the documents before her, fingering the edge of Harry's letter of resignation gently.

'Harry...I need to think about this. You can't just spring this on me and...oh good grief, you are a difficult man.'

Harry chuckled then and watched as Ruth gathered the pieces of paper up and return them to the file, which she placed in the top drawer of her desk.

'I understand Ruth. My plane leaves for Paris from Heathrow at 10.25 tonight. If I don't see you outside the airport at half past nine, I'll assume you've decided not to come with me.'

Ruth simply nodded and their moment was broken by Ros entering through the pods. She wasted no time in striding over to the pair of them and dropping a small listening device onto Ruth's desk.

'Would somebody like to explain this to me?'

* * *

><p>Tariq entered Harry's office with a box full of equipment. Harry gave it one glance and decided immediately this was a meeting he wasn't going to understand very much of.<p>

'Your idea of heaven I suppose, Mr Masood?'

Tariq nodded eagerly and placed the box on Harry's desk. He opened it and began removing random items from it and explaining their use to Harry. He may as well have been relating the laws of astrophysics for all Harry knew, he didn't understand a word of it. He held up his hand to Tariq to indicate for him to stop.

'This is all very technical Tariq. Why don't you give me the one sentence English version of what you have discovered.'

Tariq paused for dramatic effect and Harry waved him on, irritated. Still he seemed reluctant to talk, and Harry noticed he had developed some kind of twitch. On closer inspection he realised Tariq was trying to get him to stand up and come closer. There was a neatly folded piece of paper in his hand. Harry got the hint and caught Tariq's eye.

'Sorry Harry, I couldn't identify where the listening equipment came from.' Tariq spoke in a falsely calm voice. Harry moved towards him and shook his hand, taking the piece of paper in the process.

'Never mind, son. Keep trying.'

He waited until Tariq had left his office before discreetly opening the piece of paper under his desk. His heart stopped when he read the untidy words scrawled in Tariq's handwriting.

_Ros' house was bugged by MI6. And so is the grid._

* * *

><p>Harry strode purposefully across the grid and headed straight for Ruth's desk. Without saying a word to her, he pulled her and her chair away from her desk and wrapped one arm around her waist and entangled his other hand in her hair. He silenced her protests by kissing her firmly, caressing her waist gently and losing himself in the moment. When they pulled away they were both breathless and he resisted the urge to kiss her again. He walked away still not having said anything to her and left through the pods.<p>

Ruth stared after Harry's retreating form until he had disappeared from view. She had been too shocked at his behaviour to say anything to start with. It was only when the hand that had been tangled in her hair had pressed a listening device into her ear that she realised all was not as it seemed. In a way she was disappointed that he had only kissed her in order to pass the device off to her, but then she realised she was being stupid. Something was obviously afoot.

'Ruth, if you can hear me, fiddle with your stapler.' Harry's voice was calm and quiet in her ear and she did just as he asked.

'Good, now come up to the roof and I'll explain everything. I'm sorry for giving you the comm unit like that, I couldn't think of a better way. Don't acknowledge me, just leave the grid calmly.'

Ruth fiddled with her stationery for a moment longer before grabbing her bag and leaving through the pods.

Ros and Jo had been watching the whole scene in silence, a certain amount of amusement playing across their faces. Once Ruth was out of earshot, Jo immediately turned to Ros.

'What the hell was that about?'

'I don't know Jo, perhaps you should stop being so nosy and interfering.' Ros replied.

'What?'

'You heard me. Why don't you do some work for once instead of gossiping all the time.'

'Ros, I don't understand.' Jo was confused and Ros couldn't lie. She was having a certain amount of fun playing with her like this.

'Are you questioning my authority?' Ros raised her voice and made sure she got in Jo's personal space. She knew Jo wasn't an easy woman to make angry and would have to make it look convincing. Jo tried backing away from her so she grabbed her by the lapels on her coat and shoved her back against the wall. Leaning in so they were nose to nose, she put on what she hoped was her most convincing angry face.

'We could be being monitored. Play this out then leave in tears and meet on the roof.' Ros spoke slowly but quickly before pushing Jo away from her and stalking off the grid. She heard Jo pretending to cry behind her and thought to herself what a good officer the young woman was turning out to be.

* * *

><p>Dimitri was the last to arrive on the roof, having been out on assignment when the rest of the team figured out what was going on. Tariq had inspected a mobile phone in the men's toilet to make sure it was clean before sending Dimitri a text with the relevant instructions. Once he joined the group Harry wasted no time in getting down to business.<p>

'Alright, MI6 have bugged Ros' flat. We must assume they have done the same to the rest of us, as well as the grid.'

'But, why?' Dimitri asked, gaining nods from the rest of the team.

'That, I don't know yet.' Harry continued. 'But I'm sure as hell going to find out very soon. I think while I pay a visit to my counterpart, Mr Ridgeway, you should all meet at mine and Ruth's house...' There was an awkward silence when everybody, including Harry himself realised his slip of the tongue. He glossed over it with a shake of his head and continued as if nothing had happened. '...and errrmmm...formulate some kind of plan for clearing the grid for bugs. My house will be bug free, I had the most sophisticated security system in the world installed last week.'

One by one the team left the roof, planning to meet separately at Harry's house so as not to cause suspicion. Ruth waited purposefully until she and Harry were the only ones left on the roof before asking two burning questions.

'You had that installed after the thing with Delpierre?'

Harry nodded and moved closer to her in the windy conditions.

'Yes. I didn't want the same thing to happen again, should you ever decide you want to...move back in.'

Ruth smiled and moved even closer to Harry so that their chests were almost touching.

'And that kiss back there? You couldn't think of any other way to hand me an earpiece?'

'Not with the same bonus that way afforded, no.' There was a twinkle in Harry's eye that Ruth just could not resist and she pulled him towards her by the lapels of his jacket to kiss him tenderly. When they pulled away her breathing was ragged and her face flushed, something which Harry noted with great satisfaction.

'This doesn't mean I've accepted your offer...I'm still thinking about it.' Ruth said quietly.

Harry nodded and kissed her on the cheek.

'Go to our...my...house. I'll meet you there in an hour or so.'

* * *

><p>Harry strode through the endless corridors of Vauxhall Cross, formulating in his mind what he was going to say to Ridgeway. The man was new in the job and didn't have the experience to successfully hide anything from Harry. He knew he would get the information he needed, it was just a matter of how long it took. He hoped not too long, because he was still intending to catch his plane tonight. It was, after all, technically his last day as Section Head. The letter of resignation Ruth had seen was just a copy. He had handed the real thing to Lawrence two days ago, much to the Home Secretary's consternation. The meeting had been long and tedious as Lawrence had tried unsuccessfully to change his mind. Now that he was playing out his last few hours as a spook, he really didn't know how he felt. If it meant Ruth came back to him, it was fine as far as he was concerned. He was brought back to the present when he found himself outside Ridgeway's office. He entered without knocking to find, much to his surprise, Andrew Lawrence.<p>

'Home Secretary.'

'Sir Harry.' Lawrence stood and shook his hand. 'I'm afraid I know why you're here, as does Mr Ridgeway. I thought you would have retired without finding out about this business, but alas...'

Lawrence trailed off without finishing his sentence, much to Harry's annoyance. He glanced briefly at Ridgeway and didn't like the smug look he found there. Taking a seat he motioned for them to explain.

'I gather you've figured out that we have been monitoring the grid, as well as Ms Myer's house. You need to know, that no other MI5 operative's houses have been monitored.' Lawrence explained.

Harry looked between the two men, extremely confused.

'Why is there any monitoring of any kind going on And why is Ros being concentrated on?' He asked.

Ridgeway and Lawrence looked at each other as if silently deciding whether or not to tell Harry the reason, making him rather irate indeed.

'Oh for Christ's sake, I'm still Head of Section D for another 6 hours yet. Spit it out whatever it is.'

Lawrence leaned forward in his chair then and when he spoke his voice was a whisper, as if he was afraid just who might overhear what he had to say.

'Ms Myers is being monitored carefully because of her previous involvements with renegade groups outside of her work with MI5. The reason for this is that MI6 operatives in Russia got wind of an FSB cland op here in England. They've got a mole, Harry. And it's in your department.'

* * *

><p><strong>To be continued...<strong>


	22. Chapter 22

'You're scaring me Harry.'

Harry looked at Ruth and could tell she was telling the truth. To be honest, he couldn't blame her. He had returned from his meeting at Vauxhall Cross in a daze, unable to believe what the Home Secretary had told him. Lawrence had ordered him to carry on as normal and see out his last day, and try not to worry about this. But that wasn't in his nature. As soon as he had arrived at his house to find his team waiting for him he immediately sent them back to the grid to execute the plan they had come up with for sweeping for bugs. Only Ruth stayed behind. Her relationship with Harry gave her an advantage over the others, and she could clearly see there was something up with him when he returned.

She had waited until the others had left in their cars, muttering some excuse about needing to change before cornering him about his odd behaviour. To begin with he denied it, but when she continued to press he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out into his garden. It was there that they found themselves now, huddled between the large oak trees and tall green fence that bordered their back garden.

'MI6 have uncovered an FSB cland op in the UK. They've got a mole in section D. Their surveillance stretches only as far as the grid and Ros' home, because of her previous betrayals. They've no idea who it is and Lawrence has told me to leave well enough alone and retire gracefully.'

Ruth took a moment to absorb the information, it coming as quite a shock. She would like to think she knew everybody in section D to a certain extent, but of course you never really knew anybody in their line of work. Except her and Harry of course.

'What are you going to do?' She asked.

'Ruth, when have you ever known me to do anything gracefully?'

* * *

><p>They had disabled the three bugs they had found in Harry's office, as well as the camera that had been repositioned from above the pods to face his private sanctuary. Tariq reckoned they had maybe a few hours before MI6 noticed the loss of the bugs, so they had to work quickly.<p>

It would have looked odd for them all to be crammed into his office, so Harry ordered Jo, Dimitri and Tariq to continue working as normal. He hadn't informed them of the real reason they were being bugged by their friends across the river; he figured it was on a need to know basis. Only Ruth and Ros had been brought into the loop, and the three of them planned to uncover the mole before MI6 realised what they were doing.

'I guess you won't be gallivanting off on your summer holiday anymore then Harry.'

Harry shrugged as he typed, having not even thought about the plane he was due to catch in...he looked at the clock...two and a half hours.

'Thank you for your concern Ros. I'm sure I'll cope.'

'So tell us Ruth, just how are we going to uncover a Russian mole?'

Ruth seemed glad that the conversation had steered away from Harry's Grand Tour plans and she rifled through the papers on her lap quickly to find a handwritten list of names.

'These three men...' She handed the paper to Ros. '...have all been seconded by 6 in the last year for operations in Russia. They could have been turned during that time. I've checked all other section D personnel. Apart from Harry, nobody has any even remote connections to Russia.'

Harry looked up from his computer then, a small smirk on his face.

'Are you trying to say I could be the mole Ruth?'

Ruth blushed and looked down at her paperwork.

'No...no...of course not Harry, I just...I don't know why I pointed that out actually.'

The room fell silent, the only noise the ruffle of papers as Ruth shifted uneasily in her chair.

'Yes, well, if that's that lover's quarrel over with, do you think we might discuss these names then?'

Ros waved the piece of paper Ruth had given her in the air and it seemed to jerk both Harry and Ruth into action. The three of them crowded round Harry's desk and began to investigate the three possible moles.

* * *

><p>'You have been uncovered. Take precautions. Execute exit strategy B.'<p>

A tall man wearing all black leaned against the railing in the park as his colleague sat on a bench a few metres away. To the untrained eye, it would seem like they were two separate men simply taking a walk in the same area of the park. A woman walked past with her dog and smiled at the younger man sitting on the bench. He waited for her to pass before replying.

'And my payment?'

'Take this.'

The tall man handed over a small briefcase. It was opened and the money checked before the other man seemed satisfied. He stood from the bench and walked away, knowing he would never see the other man again for as long as he lived.

* * *

><p>'That's him. That must be him. Look at his key log activity.'<p>

Ruth pointed excitedly at the screen. Ros and Harry exchanged a blank look. It looked to them like a long list of times, dates and locations. Exasperated, Ruth highlighted certain areas of the report and zoomed in on them.

'_Look._ He signs out at the exact same time every single Friday afternoon and back in again precisely thirty minutes later. And always at the same exit. The only exit in Thames House that doesn't go out the front.'

Harry was sceptical.

'Maybe he's just got a bit of OCD about his lunchtime routine.'

Ruth sighed and brought up the man's file instead.

'No. Look. He was the only one out of the three to actually go to Moscow during his time in Russia. It _has _to be him. Trust me Harry.'

Harry shared a look with Ruth before glancing at Ros. She simply shrugged her shoulders, happy to go along with Ruth's theory.

'Alright.' Harry nodded, much to Ruth's relief. 'Where is he right now?'

A few taps on Harry's keyboard from Ruth brought up the relevant information.

'He's on his way up to the grid right now.'

* * *

><p>Ros approached Sean Taylor's desk slowly, so as not to cause alarm. She could see Harry and Ruth waiting just out of sight behind him ready to escort them to the interrogation room.<p>

'Sean, I could do with a hand on something. Do you have a minute?' She asked sweetly.

He looked up startled, before glancing quickly at a small briefcase placed by his feet. Ros made a mental note to check it out once he was in custody. It would be safe for now. Harry had ordered all other staff off the grid for 'a long lunch' so that nobody witnessed what was about to happen. When Taylor stood she motioned for him to follow her down the corridor where she knew Harry and Ruth were waiting. Taylor's face fell when he realised he had been led into a trap. He tried to turn and run but Ros caught him by the arm and pushed him into the closest interrogation room. She quickly secured his wrists with minimal resistance and crossed over into the observation cubicle.

'He's all yours Harry.'

Harry nodded and entered the room. He knew he was being recorded so he couldn't do exactly what he wanted to do. Which was pound this snotty little man's face into the ground. Instead he settled for taking the seat opposite him and adopting what he hoped was his most fearful glare.

'So Mr Taylor, how long have you been spying for the FSB?'

Silence.

'Who recruited you?'

Silence.

'What is your objective within Thames House?'

Another painful silence. Harry didn't have time for this. With no warning he flung the table between them to one side and grabbed Taylor by his shirt. Pulling him out of his chair, he threw him against the nearest wall and shook him violently.

'I could make this very difficult for you indeed. You know I'm retiring today. Do you know what that means? I don't have to worry about disciplinary action if I go too far.'

Taylor's smile faltered slightly but still Harry was met with silence. He let Taylor go and watched with some satisfaction as he slumped to the floor. Ruth had been watching from behind the one way mirror and during the interrogation had come to a startling realisation. She wanted to be with Harry. She loved him and had missed him so much recently. This was the man she fell in love with. Why had it taken her so long to see that? Ros gave her an odd look and she realised she was smiling widely. She refocused her attention back on Taylor, looking forward to all this being over so that she could talk to Harry.

'What information have you passed on to the FSB?' Harry demanded.

Taylor started to laugh when a loud noise that sounded ominously like an explosion rocked the room. He took it as his sign to act and bit down hard on his false back tooth. Harry didn't immediately notice anything amiss, having been distracted by the explosion. When he saw Taylor begin to seize and the froth begin to spill from his mouth he knew they had been right about the mole's identity. He was torn between trying to save the man's life and investigating what had caused an explosion within the building.

Ruth and Ros rushed into the room as Taylor's seizing slowed and he knew the man was dead. Leaving him on the floor, the three of them rushed back to the grid to find absolute devastation. An explosion of some kind had torn through the building. The windows in Harry's office had been blown out, as had the glass on the pods. Desks and various pieces of office furniture were strewn about haphazardly, some singed and burnt beyond recognition. The most odd thing about the situation however, was that the blast had seemed to originate from Taylor's desk, and the entire grid was full of burnt fifty pound notes, most adorning the floor but some still fluttering to the ground.

* * *

><p>Harry was sat on the floor of his office, leaning against his desk and sifting through the charred paper work when Ruth approached. Bizarrely, she chose to open and enter through his door, even though she could have walked right through the large gap where his windows used to be if she had so desired.<p>

'I know you were going to find it hard leaving the grid Harry, but you didn't have to blow it up when you retired.'

Harry chuckled as Ruth sat down beside him. Together they watched as the others sifted through their own burnt desks, trying to find anything worth salvaging.

'I guess this means I won't get my five weeks off.' Ruth asked.

'Actually, yes it does. The Home Secretary rang me earlier. All operations in the UK have been turned over to MI6 until the grid is rebuilt. Everybody has six weeks paid leave. And I...' Harry glanced at his watch. '...have a plane to catch first thing in the morning. I managed to switch my flight. It's at 9am now. Have you thought anymore...'

Ruth tried hard to keep a straight face. She wanted her presence at the airport tomorrow morning to be a surprise.

'I'm still thinking Harry. Sorry.'

He looked disappointed and she was briefly tempted to spit out her intentions there and then, but instead held her tongue and left his office to go and pack.

* * *

><p>Harry looked desperately at his watch. It was 8.05 and there was no sign of Ruth. He had not slept a wink the previous night, wondering if she was going to turn up today. Her behaviour in the last few days had led him to believe she was warming back up to him, but surely then she would have wanted to come with him? He had just about given up all hope when he heard a voice behind him that made his heart leap.<p>

'Hello Harry.'

He turned and she was beautiful. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt and he couldn't remember a time when he loved her more. Words had seemed to fail him at that point and Ruth smiled at his reaction to her presence.

'Room for one more on this trip?'

He nodded dumbly and noticed she was carrying a large A4 sized envelope in one hand. She followed his gaze and opened the tab, pulling out a typed piece of paper.

'Oh, this? Well this is your letter of resignation. Not the copy you gave me, but the original you handed to the Home Secretary. I went to see him last night. He was delighted that you decided to withdraw your offer of retirement.'

Harry watched with great confusion as Ruth promptly ripped it into tiny pieces and threw it into the bin behind her.

'I don't...I don't understand. Ruth, what are you...?'

The ability to form proper sentences had apparently deserted Harry.

'Watching you interrogate Taylor made me realise something Harry. Do you want to know what it made me realise?'

Harry nodded silently, not trusting his voice at this moment in time.

'It made me realise that I fell in love with Harry Pearce, Head of Section D, not Harry Pearce, does the gardening at the weekends. It's part of who you _are _Harry. And it's part of who I am too. We chose this life because we want to make a difference. And we do. When you asked me to marry you, it would have been for better or worse. And I deserted you during the worse. I'm truly sorry for that. I hope you'll forgive me though, because I have something else in this envelope.'

Harry dared not hope Ruth was about to produce what he thought she was. But when her hand came back out of the envelope, nerves like he had never felt overtook him. She was holding her engagement ring.

'I was hoping, you wouldn't mind terribly if I put this back on?'

Her words were shaky due to her emotions and Harry finally managed to pull himself together. He took a step closer to Ruth and took the ring from her.

'Ruth, will you marry me...again?' They both laughed as he slid the ring onto her finger and she nodded.

'Good, because I'm not asking a third time.'

They kissed then, passionately and for a long time, until they realised that people entering and leaving the airport were staring at them. Harry hauled Ruth's bags onto the luggage cart with his own and they joined the queue for their check-in.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: As always, thank you so much for the kind reviews. I had intended initially to skip over the Grand Tour and go straight to them going back to work, but a few of you in your reviews expressed delight at being able to read about the Grand Tour so I hope this is enough for you :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Paris, France.<strong>

'Oh Harry, look at them. Isn't that just the sweetest thing you've ever seen?'

Harry lowered his newspaper and peered over the top of his sunglasses in the direction that Ruth was subtly nodding in. He nodded in agreement at the young couple so clearly in love before going back to his newspaper.

'Don't you agree? They're so in love. They only have eyes for each other.'

Ruth cooed over the couple further whilst sipping her tea until finally Harry put the newspaper down and took off his sunglasses.

'I used to know a man who loved a woman that much. But he ended up killing her because she wouldn't let him read his morning paper.'

His mock glare didn't fool Ruth and she burst out laughing at his attempt at being cross. Using his own paper as a weapon against him, she swatted him on the arm with it before finishing her cup of tea.

'I'm only doing what was required on _your _Grand Tour. You're not too old to remember what we spoke about on our first date are you?'

There was a twinkle in Ruth's eye when she spoke that Harry just could not resist and he leaned over the small table to kiss her thoroughly. When they pulled apart, the other patrons of the cafe were watching them and Ruth blushed slightly at the attention.

'If I remember rightly, it was you who suggested the people watching without a surveillance van. I'd be quite happy to never leave the hotel room.'

It wasn't so much what he said, but the way he said it that made Ruth want to take him right there and then. Standing up quickly, she threw twenty Euro on her empty plate and practically dragged Harry back to their hotel, much to the amusements of the other guests.

After a particularly exhaustive lovemaking session, they lay in bed together that night discussing where their adventure would take them next.

'Madrid.'

'Rome.'

'Madrid.'

'_Rome.'_

Ruth sat up on the bed, breaking all skin contact with Harry in the process, much to his disappointment. He couldn't however complain about the view it now afforded him. Ruth was completely naked and he found himself unable to draw his attention away from her glorious body.

'...and that's not even counting if we visit the Vatican City. We could...wait...are you listening?...Harry? Harry? What are you...?' Ruth followed his gaze and her eyes widened considerably.

'...Harry Pearce you incorrigible man! Haven't you been listening to a word I've been saying?'

He was staring unashamedly at her figure and although it pleased her that he found her so desirable, it was a little annoying that he was distracted to a point he hadn't heard a word she said. There was still no answer from him so she grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it at his head.

'Ughhh. What was that for?'

'Harry, what was I just saying?'

'Um...errrr...' He stumbled over his words, frantically trying to remember anything Ruth had said from the last three minutes. 'Something about the Pope?'

Ruth sighed dramatically and wrapped a sheet around herself, as if in punishment for Harry's lack of attentiveness.

'You'll need the services of the Pope by the time I'm done with you if you don't start listening to me.'

She had muttered it jokingly under her breath but he still heard her. Rising from the bed he caught her as she padded towards the bathroom and pulled her into a kiss so passionate she felt her knees becoming weak. When he finally pulled away from her he began kissing her neck and whispering in her ear.

'I'm listening now darling, if you've got something to say?'

Ruth could remember she had wanted to say _something,_ but what it had been was just beyond her at that moment in time. She sighed contentedly and allowed Harry to pull her back towards the bed. One day, she vowed, she would try to stop him using sex as a way to get back into her good books. One day. Maybe.

* * *

><p><strong>Rome, Italy.<strong>

'See, I told you we needed to come here first.'

Harry eyed Ruth with some degree of suspicion, particularly at the item she now held precariously in her hands.

'_That_ is the reason you wanted to come here next instead of Madrid?'

Ruth rolled her eyes in mock frustration and shook her head.

'Well of course not Harry, I do intend to drag you around all the local tourist spots after I've dealt with this.'

'But Ruth, that's far too much ice cream for one person to eat all by themselves.'

Harry knew he had put his foot in it the moment the words left his mouth. With no warning whatsoever Ruth scooped up a dollop of ice cream with her finger and smeared it over his face.

'Well there you go, now you've got some too.'

She tried and failed to keep a straight face at the look of pure indignation Harry was now sporting. Slowly he wiped the ice cream from his face with a napkin before suddenly reaching out and grasping Ruth's hands in his own. Too late she realised what he was going to do as he forced her hands upwards and her ice cream came into contact with her face.

'Harry! How old are you?' She screamed, attracting yet more attention from onlookers.

'Too old, as you keep reminding me. I'm just trying to recapture some of my youth.'

The ice cream was cold and sticky on her face and she readily accepted the napkin Harry offered to her. As their hands touched during the exchange of the cloth Ruth grabbed Harry's and pulled him towards her to gain her revenge. She kissed him, ice cream and all, trying to smother as much of it as she could on his skin. To her surprise, he didn't pull away but in fact leaned into the kiss. When they parted they took one look at each other and erupted in laughter.

'I guess this means we'll have to go back to the hotel and shower before you drag me around all those tourist attractions hmm?'

The cheeky grin and wink was impossible to refuse. One day, she vowed, she would try to stop him using sex as a way to distract her from dragging him around museums and ancient ruins. One day. Maybe.

* * *

><p><strong>Madrid, Spain.<strong>

'It's beautiful Harry, but I couldn't possibly afford it.'

Harry sat on the chair as Ruth paraded back and forth in a dress that looked to him like it had been designed to cause heart attacks in men all over the world.

'Allow me then. A gift.'

Ruth looked positively horrified, as if he had just suggested they hold the store at gun point in order to obtain the dress rather than his infinitely more standard offer of paying for it for her.

'Oh no Harry, I couldn't possibly allow you to do that.'

'Why not? I have the money. It's not a problem.'

He would never understand a woman's attitude towards money and gifts. She couldn't afford it. He wanted to buy it as a gift. As far as he could see, there was no problem here. Yet, according to Ruth, there was.

'Ruth...if you're not going to buy it. And you won't allow me to buy it. Then what are you doing in here trying it on?'

His logic was obviously not understood by Ruth as she shot him a glare that in no uncertain terms told him to be quiet.

'It was calling to me. I _had_ to try it on.'

Up until that point his understanding of the situation had been slim at best, but at Ruth's last comment, he gave up entirely trying to understand what was going on. Slumping down in his chair, he resigned himself to a lifetime of watching Ruth try on endless outfits and pairs of shoes without ever buying anything.

'Well...do you think that perhaps you could hurry along? Only that restaurant across the street is calling to _me._'

'Just one more dress Harry, then we can go.'

He threw his hands in the air as a snort escaped his nose. Glancing up he noticed the assistant was watching the pair of them with barely concealed amusement.

'Do you work here? Or is your other half in here too trying endless items on so you just decided to help out while you wait?'

'I heard that Harry!'

He glanced fearfully at the assistant, who by now was laughing openly, and made his way over to the changing room. Poking his head around the curtain cautiously, he was met with the sight of Ruth in her underwear, struggling into yet another dress.

'Here, let me help.'

She slipped into the changing room and pulled the smooth silk up over Ruth's shoulders. Grasping the zipper he pulled it gently and slowly upwards, making sure his fingers traced over every inch of skin before it was covered up. He felt Ruth shiver under his touch and her breathing become more laboured. Taking a step forward once the dress was fastened completely, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and began placing tiny kisses on her exposed shoulders.

'Beautiful. I think you should buy it then give me a fashion show back at the hotel.'

Ruth simply nodded, not trusting her voice when he was doing _that_ to her. One day, she vowed, she would try to stop him using sex as a way to cut short her shopping trips. One day. Maybe.

* * *

><p><strong>New York, America.<strong>

'You can see Times Square from our window. Harry, this must have cost you a fortune!'

Ruth turned excitedly in the hotel room as Harry watched her from the door. Each country they had been to, their hotels had been progressively beautiful, and in turn, more expensive. He didn't mind though. He had been saving for this trip for a long time and it was for Ruth after all. Leaving their bags by the bed, he joined her at the window as she gazed out over New York City.

'Do you want to go down and join the New Year celebrations or watch them from up here?'

He knew the answer even before he asked it, yet he thought he would give her the choice anyway.

'Oh all those people Harry. Do you mind if we watch it from up here?'

He shook his head and kissed her softly.

'You know, there's a few hours until midnight yet. You want to try out the bed?'

'Harry Pearce, you are a charmer.'

They fell onto the large luxurious bed together and didn't resurface until close to midnight. Ruth stood at the window wrapped in the softest robe she had ever known, one of the perks of staying in a five star hotel, and sipped her champagne as Harry poured another glass of whiskey behind her.

'You know, you should go easy on that stuff. You're not...'

She stopped herself from saying what she was thinking, but not too soon.

'Not what? As young as I used to be?' Harry enquired, chuckling at Ruth's newest dig at his age.

When she blushed he pulled her gently back onto the bed with him, placing her champagne on the table beside him.

'They say, you're only as old as you feel. But in my case...' He slipped his hands underneath Ruth's robe and was pleased to find her naked underneath. 'I guess I'm only as old as the _woman _I feel.'

Before she lost all train of conscious thought, she vowed that one day, she would try to stop him using sex as a way to deflect her questions about his drinking. One day. Maybe.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Just a shorter than usual chapter with nothing much happening. I'm not crazy about it but I thought I'd get at least something out there. I'm losing steam a little on this one. If anybody has any ideas or suggestions where they'd like me to take it I'm all ears.**

* * *

><p>Ruth sighed contentedly as Harry gently massaged her feet. His touch was gradually reaching further and further afield, so that now he had also incorporated her calves into his ministrations. She knew where this was leading, and she should really stop it but she couldn't find it in herself to say anything. They did however, have an extremely early start at work the following morning, and a night of passionate lovemaking was not the perfect preparation. Because Harry didn't have it in him to just participate in a quickie. Oh no. Every time they made love, her muscles ached for hours afterwards. He treated her body like a shrine, and she loved him all the more for it. However, there were times like this when she wished he would just take her hard and fast. Much like the time in their hallway when they had been apart.<p>

Her mind finished wandering and Harry's touch had now reached her thighs. She realised she was going to have to put a stop to this otherwise he would have her clothes off in no time.

'Harry...what do you think you're doing? My feet are down there.'

As if to punctuate her point she nodded her head towards her wiggling toes. Harry smirked and his fingers inched ever so slightly higher.

'Yes, but your...'

'You finish that sentence Harry Pearce and you'll never see the object of your intentions again.'

Harry was not to be deterred however and his fingers continued on their journey. When they brushed delicately over her underwear she forgot why it was that she had ever decided to stop him in the first place.

* * *

><p>Ruth was not in a good mood when she stepped onto the grid the next morning. Although the previous evening had turned out rather pleasurable indeed, it had meant that she was now running on three hours sleep and a ridiculous amount of caffeine. Her frustration had only increased when Harry had handed her a cup of tea in their kitchen looking like he was extremely well rested. Coupled with the fact her hair had not done anything she wanted it to this morning and that her and Harry were 15 minutes late, it was safe to say that the reopening of the grid was not high on Ruth's list of priorities. She slung her bag and coat onto what she assumed was still her desk, since it was in the same place as her old one, grunting a barely intelligible 'hello' in Jo's direction.<p>

'Woah, somebody got out of the wrong side of the bed this morning! Harry keep you up all night did he?'

Jo was stunned into silence when Ruth nodded and slumped into her chair.

'He just...goes and goes and _goes. _I mean, not that I'm complaining, because _believe _me, I'm not. But really, it's 3am and he's not even the slightest bit...'

Ruth trailed off when she noticed Jo's rather alarmed expression.

'Sorry, too much information?' She asked sheepishly.

Jo nodded vigorously, causing Ruth to laugh. It was then that she noticed her friend also looked a little bit worse for wear.

'You know Jo, you look a little tired too. Has anybody been keeping you up all night?'

Jo choked on her sip of coffee, spitting it out on her shiny new desk.

'What? Oh no, you know, those guys next door were partying again. You know the ones. Up all night, booming music?'

Ruth nodded and seemed to accept Jo's answer. She had been privy to the group of young men who lived next door to Jo and their wild antics when her and Harry had fallen out and Jo had offered her spare bedroom. They could and indeed would keep a person up all night. She noticed Harry talking to DImitri in his office and wondered if it was a meeting she could interrupt. Harry's new office windows did not yet have blinds (something which she was going to make sure was remedied very soon) so she could tell from both men's body language that they were having a relaxed discussion, probably about cricket.

She entered without knocking and as expected, they were talking about a sport in which she had no knowledge whatsoever. Dimitri took it as his cue to leave and slipped quietly towards the door. He was almost out when Harry called after him.

'Oh and Dimitri? You're looking a little tired today. Late night party last night?'

Dimitri looked like a deer caught in the headlights. His answer came just a fraction too late to be convincing, and when it did, Ruth's jaw dropped.

'Oh no, you know me. No parties. I stayed at a uh...friends house, and...his neighbours were having a party through most of the night. That's all.'

The office door closed but still Ruth stared at the space Dimitri had previously been occupying. When she still had not moved a full minute later Harry stood before her and waved his hand in front of her face.

'Ruth? What's the matter?'

This seemed to break her out of her daze and she made eye contact with Harry, still with a look of amazement on her face.

'He...She...They're...They're _doing _it!'

At Harry's confused expression, Ruth took a moment to make sure they weren't being watched through the windows before motioning frantically at Dimitri and Jo who were stood talking by the pods.

'Them! They're sleeping with each other!'

It finally clicked for Harry and a mischievous grin came over his face.

'Well good for him.'

'Yes. Wait...what? What is that supposed to mean? Do you think Jo's attractive?'

Ruth stood waiting for Harry's reply and unfortunately for him he did not answer anywhere near fast enough.

'Well, you know...of course. I mean, obviously I don't _fancy_ her, but clearly she's an attractive woman.'

Even more unfortunately for Harry he didn't answer well enough either.

'I see.'

Harry began to chuckle until he realised that Ruth was deadly serious.

'Oh come on Ruth, you don't really think...?'

Ruth said nothing, simply raised one eyebrow. Harry sighed and kissed her deeply, despite the openness of his office. He didn't care who saw them, and apparently neither did Ruth as she kissed him back with just as much passion.

'Does that answer your question?' He asked when they finally broke for air.

'My question?'

'Yes, you were in the middle of questioning whether or not I had the hots for your colleague, remember?'

'Was I?'

* * *

><p>The Home Secretary had made a special trip to Thames House to supervise the reopening of the grid. He arrived at the same time as the DG, which meant Harry was tied up for most of the afternoon playing the dutiful Section Head. Ruth occupied herself by watching Dimitri and Jo interacting when they thought nobody was looking. The irony wasn't lost on her. All those years ago she had turned down Harry's offer of a second date because she was scared of office gossip, and now here she was loading up on ammunition ready to give Jo both barrels the moment they had some time alone. Oh how times changed.<p>

She guessed from the way they smiled at each other and she laughed at his jokes that the previous night wasn't the first time it had happened. There was none of the usual awkwardness after a first night together, none of the nerves over whether or not the other person wanted it to continue. If she had to put a number on it, she would have said they were in fifth or sixth date territory.

Her analysis of the new couple was interrupted by the DG and Harry laughing over something, no doubt a terribly sexist joke. Harry's boss had a strong sexist streak in him, and Harry had developed a fake laugh in order to make it unscathed through a round of his jokes. Ruth could spot the fake laugh a mile away, and it was out in full force today. She decided to steer clear of them for now, not wanting to say or do something terribly inappropriate.

She continued to scan the grid and her eyes next came to rest on Tariq. He was working away at his new desk and not getting involved with the party at all. As she made her wat over to him she smiled as his cursing became louder and louder.

'Problem Tariq?'

His eyes never left his screen and his typing didn't slow one bit as he replied.

'Problems. Plural_._ Whoever set up this network did not know what they were doing. I'm having to reconfigure _everything_.'

As if on cue his computer made a loud beeping noise and he bashed his keyboard in frustration.

'Right well...good luck with that then.'

He didn't even notice Ruth walk away, he was so engrossed in trying to fix whatever problem the IT department had created.

By now Harry had managed to free himself from the DG's clutches and she watched as he made his way over to her.

'That man is abominable. Thank the Lord I wasn't offered that job when it was available. Please feel free to shoot me if I ever get like that.'

Ruth smiled as she straightened Harry's tie, leaning up to peck him on the lips in the process.

'Harry, you're not a sexist pig. I promise.'

They smiled at each other and snagged another glass of champagne before rejoining the party.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Reviews dipped for the last chapter. I guess this reflects in my own unhappiness with it. I'm slightly more chuffed with this one, so I hope you are too! Once more, I don't own Spooks or any of it's characters, etc etc etc. Also, I'm guessing the e-mail at the beginning of this chapter won't appear how I want it to, so please just imagine that the letters or words in bold are the beginning of each new line, as if you could read them downwards to make a sentence :) Oh yeah, and apologies once again for the vague Friends reference. I'm a Friends fiend!**

* * *

><p>'Morning Heather.'<p>

Heather nodded politely at her colleague, Martin she thought his name was, and continued on down the corridor towards her office. Rarely did she engage in small talk with other employees, it was not a sufficient way to spend one's time in a job such as hers. Powering up her computer she made sure the blinds in her window were closed before opening her e-mails. There was the usual spam and junk that she deleted without evening opening, but there was one that caught her eye. She scanned over it quickly before reading it again more thoroughly.

_Dear Heather,_

_**M**__y attention has been drawn by your outstanding work at Redler and Associates at Law. I wish to _

_**e**__xtend an invitation to you for an informal discussion with myself and my partner, at our office this _

_**e**__vening regarding an upcoming case that we feel you would be extremely suited for. In order to keep _

_**t**__his meeting quiet, we ask that you do not tell anybody about our offer. A driver will pick you up at _

_**9pm**__ from your home and take you back again afterwards. We do hope you will consider our kind _

_**request**__ since you have come highly recommended to us. If you feel you may require any more _

_**information**__ from us please do not hesitate to get in touch._

_**Yours**__,_

_Stephen McComiskie_

Heather read the e-mail through for a third time before finally noticing what she was looking for. She highlighted the first letter or word of each line and silently congratulated Stephen on a job well done before committing the information to memory and deleting it. She didn't need her bosses seeing it and possibly figuring out what she was getting up to.

* * *

><p>'Harry, I'm going for lunch with Jo. Care to join us? We were going to discuss wedding plans.'<p>

Harry's head shot up at this announcement and he stared at Ruth as if she had grown a second head.

'Wedding plans?'

'Yes. You remember proposing to me don't you? I mean, I know you're getting old but you did do it twice. One usually has a wedding after a proposal.'

'Proposal?'

Ruth smirked.

'Harry, have I broken you?'

He shook his head to clear the shock from his brain. In truth, he hadn't expected Ruth to be the one to move forward with the plans. He had expected to have been the one nudging her into action.

'NO! No. I mean, no you haven't. Broken me I mean.'

As she was leaving his office she casually threw a comment over her shoulder that left him spluttering over his cup of tea.

'You should be glad I'm not pregnant too.'

'P-p-pregnant?'

* * *

><p>Heather sighed in frustration and rubbed her tired eyes. It had been a long hard day of fact finding for her latest case and so far nothing fruitful had turned up. It was tough being a lawyer, she decided. She was making her way to the staff canteen for a much needed caffeine shot when she overheard something rather intriguing from a partially open office door. Noting her boss, Mitchell Walker was inside the office, she slowed her pace as she passed to see if she could hear more of the conversation.<p>

'...but I didn't do...'

'I don't care!' Mitchell interrupted the younger man angrily. 'You created this problem now you fix it. I worked too hard and too long on this deal and there's too much money at stake. These men won't just go quietly if you mess them around. It's your life on the...wait, did you hear something?'

Heather panicked and slipped quickly into the supply cupboard behind her when her phone had gone off unexpectedly. Luckily she didn't think Walker had spotted her but she still waited almost an hour before making the decision to leave the safety of the closet. By the time she did, it was almost 8.30pm and she was going to be late for an appointment.

* * *

><p>'Harry...how tall are you?'<p>

Harry looked down from the television at Ruth, who was curled up snugly against him, head in his lap.

'Erm, 6ft 2 why?'

'So about 5ft 11 then?'

Harry looked confused and Ruth snorted in laughter.

'Harry, every man wants a couple of extra inches. I'm sure you're no different.'

'Are we still talking about height?'

Harry chuckled at the shriek that came from Ruth at his cheeky response and deftly blocked the cushion that swiftly came his way.

'Why do you want to know anyway?'

'Oh you know, wedding stuff.'

Harry promptly nodded and shut up, turning his attention back to the television. After having spent the majority of the afternoon chastising Jo and Ruth for talking about various aspects of the wedding instead of getting any work done he had finally come up with a master plan in order to distance himself from it. Ignorance. Whenever Ruth mentioned anything wedding related, which was often, he would simply nod and comply with her every request. She could be asking him to sign over his very soul and he would do it with no questions whatsoever. It wasn't that he didn't _want_ to get married. Oh no. It was just that planning a wedding was so..._girly_. And Ruth seemed to be enjoying it so far so why take away any of her pleasure? He was pleased with himself at coming up with his plan, but Ruth had been less enthused when he had aired it to her.

He seemed to remember there had been much stomping of her feet in his office that afternoon and a lot of placating on his part, using his wily charm in order to convince her this was the best course of action for everybody involved. He had finally convinced her when he had referred to the corsages as being part of their dinner menu and she had burst out laughing and kissed him on the cheek. He still didn't know what he had said that was so funny but he hoped she took his advice and kept them for the starter.

This latest request, however, did seem rather strange. He pondered on how his height might possibly factor into their wedding for a while without coming up with any feasible possibilities. Finally he decided to just bite the bullet and ask Ruth. He hadn't even gotten as far as opening his mouth when she spoke.

'Don't ask Harry. I thought we had an agreement?'

'Yes but...I'm curious.'

Ruth sighed and sat up to face him on the sofa.

'You really want to know?'

'Contrary to popular belief Ruth, this is going to be the happiest day of my life, and I don't want to simply just turn up and be surprised.' He took her hand in his own. ' Why do you need to know how tall I am?'

Ruth paused for dramatic effect, as if about to reveal a state secret.

'Well, I'm buying my wedding shoes tomorrow and I needed to know how tall you are so that I don't buy too high heels and make you look short.'

'...Oh.'

* * *

><p>At 9pm on the dot Heather entered her apartment to find Stephen McComiskie waiting for her. She handed over a USB stick without saying anything and took a sealed envelope in return.<p>

'Everything alright?' Stephen asked.

She nodded and opened the envelope, reading the documents inside quickly and efficiently.

'This information is correct, you are sure?'

Stephen nodded and began fidgeting. He had never done anything like this before and was nervous. Heather could tell, and allowed herself a small smile to put him at ease. When she had finished reading the documents she pulled out a lighter and set fire to them, throwing them into the sink when they began turning to ash.

'We won't speak again now for a week. I have too much on my hands.'

Stephen nodded and moved to the front door, sensing his time here was done.

'Nice place you have here. Risky using your own home though isn't it?'

Heather shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

'You're the first person to come here in three months. Nobody knows I live here.'

For a moment Stephen almost felt sorry for her, until he realised that this was probably normal for her. He gave one parting shot of advice as he opened the front door.

'These men have killed before. Be careful Ros.'

'Careful's my middle name Dimitri.'

* * *

><p>'So, Ros is still undercover at Redler and Associates. What have we learned so far Dimitri?'<p>

Harry paced the room liked a caged animal. He hadn't liked sending Ros undercover in a law firm but the intel they had received clearly suggested this particular law firm were providing arms dealers with access to the UK, so it had to be investigated. Ros had studied Law at A level which gave her an immediate head start on everybody else so had volunteered to go under.

'The boss man, Walker, he's definitely up to something slimey.' Harry's face scrunched up at Dimitri's use of the word slimey, causing Jo to giggle. 'Ros overheard a conversation the other day where he referred to his employers as killers. Something's definitely afoot but she hasn't been able to sniff anything out yet.'

Dimitri sounded as disappointed with this lack of progress as Harry looked, and he quickly moved on to Ruth.

'Have you managed to dig up any dirt yet?'

Ruth didn't answer immediately and Harry noticed with a small sigh that she was hiding a wedding magazine between the two files she was clutching. He made a mental note to address that point at a later date.

'Ruth?'

This seemed to startle her out of her no doubt wedding induced haze and she jumped up from her chair and began handing out a sheet of paper to everybody present.

'Sorry! I've uh...I've not come up with anything either but Tariq managed to hack into the Redler and Associates database and came up with this. It's a list of clients. He's out there going through it now. Hopefully we come up with the name of the arms dealer from this. That's if they were stupid enough to...you know, keep a record.'

Everybody in the room shared dubious looks and Ruth knew it was a long shot but they weren't getting anywhere. Ros needed to make a breakthrough and fast.

* * *

><p>Ros banged her keyboard in anger for the third time that afternoon. Mitchell Walker happened to be walking past as she did and heard the noise. He knocked softly and entered her office without waiting for her to respond.<p>

'Problems with the new girl?'

She tried to keep her composure and barely succeeded. Just a minute earlier and he would have discovered her trying to hack into his personal computer. The information she needed would surely be on there but as she had just discovered, it could not be accessed remotely. She was going to have to get into his office. Suddenly she knew what she had to do. It was something she had done before but it wasn't something she enjoyed. Nevertheless, she would do what had to be done. Fluttering her eyelashes she looked up at Mitchell with what she hoped was her best innocent look.

'Me and computers have never mixed. Damn things get on my nerves. I must need lessons.'

She timed her statement with her 'accidental' dropping of her pen and bent down provocatively to retrieve it. She noted with some satisfaction when she righted herself that Walker's face was flushed and he seemed flustered.

'Well uh...I could always give you some lessons.'

She discreetly undid the top two buttons on her blouse when he looked away and pushed her arms tight into her body to accentuate her cleavage. Pouting her lips she approached Walker slowly, sashaying her hips as much as she dared.

'But my office, it's so small. Isn't there somewhere else you could..._teach_ me?'

By now Walker looked like all his Christmasses had come at once. He eagerly offered up his own office for use later that day and left quickly, adjusting his trousers as he went. Ros smiled at a job well done and went to the ladies toilets to fix her make-up.

* * *

><p>'Sir, there's a Heather Waller out here. She says you asked her to come by this afternoon.'<p>

Walker was so eager in responding to the intercom on his phone he nearly knocked it off the table.

'Yes, yes. Send her in.'

He fixed his tie and checked his breath against his hand. When Ros entered he stood out of politeness more than anything else and offered her a glass of wine.

'Drinking on the job? I like it.'

* * *

><p>Two bottles of wine later and Ros had successfully managed to get Walker drunk without being too intoxicated herself, and more importantly, without having to actually sit through any kind of computer lesson. She watched as he leaned back against the sofa, slurring his words.<p>

'And thatshhh why I hurred...hired you. Your exceptsshhional eye for details. Like your...your outfit here.'

His eyes travelled over her bare legs all the way up where her skirt fell tantalisingly short over her thighs. Normally she wouldn't wear something so short, but in the name of good she had hiked it up a few inches when in the toilets. Now she was glad she had. With no warning whatsoever she straddled Walker and watched with some satisfaction as his eyes widened in pleasure. She leaned forward as if to kiss him but at the last moment, pinched his neck in just the right place to send him into unconsciousness.

'About bloody time too.' She muttered under her breath.

* * *

><p>It was past midnight when Ros entered Thames House, and she was surprised to find Harry still on the grid.<p>

'Shouldn't you be at home with your wife to be?'

Harry looked up surprised, not expecting to hear her voice at that moment in time.

'Ros. I take it you're here because you got what we needed? And to answer your question, Ruth was in full wedding mode when she left here so I decided it was best to leave her be for the evening.'

A small chuckle escaped Ros' lips and Harry couldn't help but smile back at her.

'So how did you get it? The information I mean.'

Harry motioned to the file in Ros' hand and she dropped it onto his desk.

'Oh you know, I used the old Myer's charm. Got him really drunk then knocked him out cold.'

Harry laughed out loud at that and the two of them settled in his office to go over her recently gained intelligence.


	26. Chapter 26

'So Harry's not going to be back until...'

'Nope.'

'And Ruth doesn't know...'

'Nope.'

'Ah.'

Dimitri and Ros shared a worried look as they glanced over in Ruth's direction. Harry had been in Germany for a week now and while he had been gone Ruth had been edgy and panicked, constantly asking for updates on his operation. And now Ros had just learned that Harry was needed for an extra week and wouldn't be back until the end of the month. Most importantly, not in time for Ruth's birthday.

'I'm pulling rank here Dimitri. You have to tell her.'

'M-m-me? Why me? She'll eat me alive!'

Ros seemed to find the funny side to that possible scenario and the slightest smirk appeared on her face.

'Well then, I'll be sure to suggest the proper seasoning to her.'

Dimitri watched open mouthed as Ros left the grid through the pods. His gaze fell back upon Ruth, and she seemed relatively calm at that point. Deciding it would be better to get the ordeal over sooner rather than later he approached her carefully.

'Evershed. What are you up to?'

'Blasted thing! I'm trying to secure intelligence from MI6 on Harry's operation but as usual they aren't being very co-operative.

'Good, good. So you haven't spoken to Harry directly then?'

Ruth gave Dimitri a look to suggest he really should have known better.

'You know only his designated contact can speak with him at the moment, which is Ros. So no Dimitri, I have not spoken to my fiancé for six days.'

Dimitri took a deep breath and prepared to spill the bad news, figuring now was as good a time as any, when Ruth suddenly shouted and slammed her hands down on her keyboard.

'Damn thing! You know Dimitri, I think I could kill somebody today, I really do.'

'I'll uh...come back later.'

He retreated to the safety of his own desk and wondered if he had time to do all the things he had wanted to do before he died in the space of a few hours.

* * *

><p>'Have you told her yet?'<p>

Dimitri looked up from his paperwork to see Ros standing expectantly in front of his desk.

'Oh yes, took it wonderfully. She even hugged me.'

Ros looked over at Ruth, one eyebrow raised in suspicion. The senior analyst was on the phone to somebody, and by the looks of it she didn't want to be the other person. She looked back to Dimitri who had just seen the same thing she had.

'You didn't tell her did you.'

'I...no, I didn't.

'Two hours, or you'll be on the next flight to South America.'

It was then that Dimitri spied Jo coming through the pods. He saw his chance and seized it. When Jo walked off in the direction of the toilets he followed her and caught up to her in the deserted corridor.

'Hey you.'

She jumped at the feeling of his hands on her waist but soon relaxed when she realised who it was and giggled when he started kissing her neck.

'Dimitri, not here. There's security cameras everywhere!'

He ignored her pleas and gently pushed her back against the wall. She realised something was afoot when he started murmuring pleasantries in her ear.

'Alright Dimitri, what's going on?'

'Can't I compliment my gorgeous sexy...what are you? Girlfriend?'

His cheeky grin gave him away and he raised his hands in defeat.

'OK, OK, here's the deal. Harry's not going to be back from Germany until 3 days after Ruth's birthday and Ros has asked you to inform Ruth. I told her I would do it but she was adamant she wanted it to come from you.'

Jo looked thoughtful for a moment and he thought he had her until she reached forward and slapped his arm.

'Liar. She asked you to do it didn't she?'

'What? Of course not. Would I, Dimitri Levendis, make up such a story?'

The silence between them was deafening.

'OK yeah, she asked me to do it but I'm too scared. Will you please please please tell Ruth for me? I'll make you dinner for a month.'

'Will she please please please tell me what?'

The sound of Ruth's voice from the end of the corridor caused them both to whip their heads round and the pair of them looked like a couple of school children who had been caught in the act. It was Jo who was brave enough to speak first.

'Ah um...see the thing is Ruth...what I mean to say is...well...Harry won't be back until next week. I'm sorry.'

They waited patiently for any kind of sign from Ruth that she had heard Jo's admission, but none came. She simply stared at them in silence before turning abruptly and leaving the two very confused spooks alone in the corridor.

* * *

><p>Ruth was sat staring intently at her computer screen, but no information seemed to be going in. She knew she shouldn't be upset about this, but she just couldn't help it. At her age, birthdays were just a reminder that she was yet another year older, and she knew there was nothing Harry could do about his situation. If they had requested his presence for another week, then that was that. But she just couldn't shake that nagging feeling of disappointment. She resolved that she would not let this bother her, and she would still try to enjoy the surprise party the rest of the team were planning on throwing for her.<p>

Dimitri and Tariq hadn't exactly been discreet when they had bundled a large bag of decorations and balloons onto the grid a few days ago, and their explanation that they were investigating a possible terrorist threat against a nursery was just laughable. She had pretended to be fooled though, so as not to spoil their surprise and had been practicing her surprised face in the mirror each morning to make sure it was convincing enough. After all, there wasn't much else to do with Harry away for so long.

Her loud sigh attracted the attention of Jo across from her and she smiled sympathetically back.

'Missing Harry?'

She simply nodded, not trusting herself to talk about him without bursting into uncontrollable tears.

'He'll be back before you know it. And just think, he'll have some making up to do when he's home.'

Jo's statement was accompanied by a cheeky wink and a giggle, which caused Ruth to blush. She was gradually getting used to talking about this kind of thing with Jo but it still embarrassed her slightly. She decided to turn the tables on her friend to take the attention off of herself.

'And I'm sure dinner isn't the only thing you'll be getting off Dimitri for a month after doing him that favour.'

'Touche Ruth.' Jo laughed and patted Ruth on the back.

* * *

><p>Two days later and Ruth's practicing of her surprised face had paid off. The team had just finished thwarting an attempt on the Home Secretary's life and Ruth had grabbed her coat and bag ready to go home when Jo cornered her by the pods and asked her for help with something in the registry. She had genuinely been surprised when they had returned and the grid had been transformed into the perfect setting for a birthday party.<p>

There were banners hanging haphazardly from every wall, which she guessed Tariq and DImitri had put up in a hurry, and an empty desk full of food and cake. Although she was disappointed that Harry wasn't here to share it with her, she had to admit that she was having a good time with her friends. The alcohol was flowing freely and the night shift team had taken over duties so they didn't have to worry about being forced into work should an emergency arise.

It was close to midnight when she decided to call it a night, and another hour before she had managed to thank everybody and assure them all that no, she didn't need a lift home, she could hail a taxi by herself. Once home, she dropped her coat and bag in the hallway and left some food out for Scarlett and Fidget before climbing the stairs and flopping onto the bed. It felt large and cold without Harry, and she knew it would be a while before she drifted off to sleep. She was half undressed when her mobile rang and she answered it curiously, hoping it wasn't a request to go back to work.

'Hello my darling.'

'Harry! What are you...? I mean, how...?'

She heard Harry chuckle down the line and waited patiently for him to explain.

'I've got an old friend in the German secret service. He sorted me out with an untraceable phone, no questions asked. I couldn't let you go your whole birthday without speaking to me could I?'

Ruth laid back onto the bed and sighed into the phone.

'Oh Harry, I miss you so much. Please come home soon.'

'I'll try my best sweetheart. Have I missed much?'

In her slightly intoxicated state Ruth shook her head at Harry's question before realising he couldn't see her.

'No...nothing too interesting. A radical Islamic group tried to assassinate the Home Secretary but they didn't even get close.'

'Hmmmm, interesting. Now tell me, just what exactly are you wearing right now?'


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: ****Well I managed to break through my writer's block at long last, but I'm not entirely sure I'm happy with this. It's taken a rather angsty turn that I didn't intend it to. As always, Spooks and the characters belong to Kudos. And the storyline is completely made up and bears no resemblance to real life. Also, I'm no doctor, so apologies for any medical inaccuracies.**

* * *

><p>Harry stared dumbfounded at the object cradled in his hands. He had been minding his own business eating his toast in the kitchen when Ruth had come down from the bathroom and placed it on the table beside him. He had picked it up and inspected it for a long while before saying anything.<p>

'Ruth, this is...'

'I know.'

'And it says...'

'I know.'

'But we always...'

'Harry, they aren't always one hundred percent effective.'

He looked at Ruth for the first time since she had appeared in the kitchen then, shock written all over his face. Clearly this was news he had never heard before.

'N-not one hundred percent effective? B-but...'

Ruth sighed and tried to snatch the pregnancy test away from Harry but he was too quick for her. He held it close to his chest before slowly bringing it away from him to inspect it again when he felt it safe.

'It's not a trick, Harry. I haven't made it myself with some paper and a blue felt tip pen.'

'No...no, of course not.'

The image of Ruth making her own positive pregnancy test flashed into Harry's mind then and it took all of his willpower not to laugh out loud. That would only have made the situation worse.

'H-how...?'

'Do I really need to explain it to you Harry? I'm pretty sure you were there when it happened.'

He placed the test down on the table then and gave her a look.

'I was _going_ to say, how far along are you?'

'Oh.' Ruth blushed at having misread Harry's previous thought. 'Um...two months. I know I should have done a test sooner, but then we had that bomb threat and I forgot and well...here we are.'

Ruth must have taken his silence then as a bad thing because she sighed and began walking quickly towards the door. He grabbed her by the arm and manoeuvred her into the chair opposite him.

'Ruth, I'm sorry for my reaction. I'm just...well I'm a little shocked to say the least. But this is a good thing. This is good, right?'

He watched her reaction closely and was pleased to see relief then happiness adorn her features.

'Oh I'm so glad you think so Harry. So, when shall we start turning your office into a nursery?'

'M-my office?'

Ruth looked slightly incredulous at Harry's inability to still not put full sentences together.

'Well where else is the baby going to sleep?'

'Can't we just put a cot in the corner of our room?' Harry asked.

'Oh yes, of course. But you won't be able to make love to me until he or she is old enough for a proper bed.'

Harry nodded resolutely.

'My office it is then.'

* * *

><p>They arrived on the grid hand in hand but Harry's progress towards his office was halted by Ruth tugging gently on his hand.<p>

'Harry...' She whispered.

'I don't want anybody to know until I'm further along. Is that alright with you?'

Harry kissed her softly and caressed her hair lovingly.

'Whatever you want darling.'

* * *

><p><strong>3 months later...<strong>

'Oi Evershed, careful! You might get wedged in there.'

Ruth shot Dimitri a glare she only usually reserved for Harry when he had done or said something she didn't approve of and he visibly shrank back at the force of it.

'Ow! What was that for?'

He rubbed his arm where Jo had just punched him rather hard and glared at his girlfriend in mock hurt.

'You do NOT, under _any_ circumstances, bring up the issue of weight or size with a pregnant woman. Especially the boss's pregnant fiancé. Are you _crazy?_ Did you see what Ruth did to that poor guy from section A last week when he asked her to turn to the side so he could squeeze past her in the corridor?'

Dimitri shook his head and gulped, having paled considerably. Luckily for him, Ruth had gone straight into Harry's office so he made a quick getaway towards the registry before she could exact her revenge for his comment.

* * *

><p>'Harry, I feel like a walking house. Everybody keeps commenting on how fat I am. And I look just hideous. I want to go home and not leave our room until the baby's born.'<p>

This was not the first time Harry had heard this particular speech and by now he was well practiced in how to deal with it. He ushered Ruth towards his sofa and lifted her feet onto his lap to begin massaging them. When she sighed and let her head fall back onto the sofa he felt it safe to speak.

'Ruth, you are not fat. You are carrying our child, which is the most beautiful thing in the world. You are gorgeous and I simply must have you at every opportunity I get.'

The smile that appeared at the corner of her mouth told Harry that he had won this particular battle and he continued to massage her feet as she relaxed into his touch. He was sure she was half way to falling asleep when his phone rang and he cursed inwardly. Reluctantly he lifted Ruth's feet off his lap and slid out from under her to answer it.

'Yes...of course...I understand Home Secretary...yes, I'll put my best people on it straight away...thank you...goodbye.'

He placed the phone back in its cradle and noticed Ruth looking at him questioningly.

'There's been a credible threat against the opening ceremony of the Olympics. A letter was posted directly to the Home Secretary. It's being couriered over here as we speak for us to look into.'

Ruth slipped her feet back into her shoes and stood, back into spook mode immediately.

'I'll start drawing up lists of groups who might want to do something like this. It'll be a long one though.'

Harry nodded grimly as Ruth left his office and poured himself a hefty measure of whiskey before following her out onto the grid.

* * *

><p>A soon as the threatening letter had arrived from Whitehall it hadn't taken Ruth and Tariq long to figure out who was behind it. There had been a fingerprint on the page and Tariq certainly hadn't complained at the sloppiness of the suspect. The print came back as a match to a man named Martin Doherty. He was known to section D as a man who was mentally unstable and likely to commit crimes for the highest bidder without needing a valid reason.<p>

'Why haven't we put this man away yet?' Dimitri asked.

Harry paced the briefing room floor impatiently while Ros answered Dimitri's question.

'He might be off his rocker but he's clever. He never leaves any forensic evidence behind. This is the first time he's ever made a mistake. I'm wondering if it was deliberate.'

This caught Harry's attention and he stopped pacing.

'Why would he _try_ to get caught?'

All heads turned towards Ros at Harry's question and it was obvious that she had a theory, but wasn't ready to air it. After an extended silence and the intensity of the others' gazes she finally relented.

'What if his target isn't the opening ceremony after all? What if he's trying to get caught because his target is us?'

There were some incredulous looks around the table and nobody quite seemed ready to speak up so Ros continued.

'Think about it. He's never once left evidence behind before, why now? And why the Olympics? He must know there is no way he will get anywhere near that stadium with any kind of device. Something's going on here. He knows we'll be the ones to bring him in, not the police, because it's a terrorist threat. He either wants something from us, or we are the target.'

Harry seemed deep in thought for a while until he nodded at Ros.

'Alright, say you're right. But we aren't going to play by his rules. Section A are dealing with security around the Olympics, we'll give them a heads up then we'll tail our little friend. I gather you managed to get an address Tariq?'

Tariq looked up eagerly then, nodding.

'Yes, actually. Using the new handwriting analysis software we borrowed from Six, I managed to scan in and match the writing on our letter to the handwriting on a contract for a house purchased in East London three months ago.'

Harry nodded, then turned to Dimitri.

'Alright Dimitri. I want you to take Tariq and observe Doherty. No contact though until we're sure what he's up to.'

* * *

><p>'Here's the latest report from Dimitri and Tariq. I suggest reading it just before bed though, it's quite a snooze fest.'<p>

Ruth dropped the report onto Harry's desk then slumped down onto his sofa, rubbing her eyes. Harry moved from behind his desk and began gently massaging her shoulders.

'I wish you'd take it easy.' He whispered into her ear, pleased when she moaned at the feeling of his hands on her skin.

'I can't help thinking we're missing something here Harry. The only contact he's had with the outside world all week is to order pizza. Maybe we should bring him in?'

Harry kissed the exposed skin on Ruth's shoulders that he had been massaging and moved his hands down to cover her ever expanding stomach.

'If our child is even half as intelligent as you, I'm going to have a battle on my hands.'

She leaned back into his touch and smiled as his hands wandered lower and lower.

'Harry...not here. Concentrate.'

'I am concentrating. On my beautiful fiancé. Which reminds me, our wedding's in two weeks, have you picked out a dress yet?'

By now Harry's hands were caressing the inside of Ruth's thighs through the thin material of her skirt and she had trouble formulating any kind of intelligent response to his question.

'Ummm...yes. God...stop Harry, or I'm going to get carried away.'

Harry chuckled and reluctantly withdrew his hands.

'What's it like?'

'I'm not telling you that, it's bad luck. Do you think we should bring in Doherty?'

Harry marvelled at Ruth's ability to switch the conversation from their wedding to a known terrorist in a matter of seconds before the pondering the idea.

'It's risky. But the ceremony is two days away and we have nothing. I think we're going to have to.'

* * *

><p>'Get off me! Get off me! I'm armed!'<p>

Ros threw Doherty into the chair in the kitchen of the MI5 safe house. She and Harry had come to a compromise that they would indeed take Doherty, but rather than have him interrogated at the grid, they would do it at a safe house instead. Tariq, Dimitri and Jo were busy going through his house looking for evidence so Ruth and Harry had gone along with Ros to help with the interrogation. Harry had sent Ruth out to get food for the three of them and he looked at his watch, noting she should be back any minute now. He was just about to suggest to Ros that they secure Doherty and eat first when the man stood up quite unexpectedly.

The next few seconds seemed to go by in slow motion for Harry, and he watched as Doherty, hands cuffed, shoved Ros away from him and went for her gun on the table. Harry couldn't react quickly enough, and was leaning over from the other side to reach the gun when he looked up to find it pointed at his head. He froze and prayed that Ruth would not come back for a while yet. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Ros, hands twitching and edging ever closer to Doherty.

'I wouldn't do that if I were you blondie.'

Ros stopped where she was and spread her hands out in front of her.

'Why are you doing this? You obviously wanted us to bring you in, so why try to escape?' Ros asked.

Doherty laughed and the gun wobbled in his shaking hands. Harry briefly thought about trying to make a grab for it but the muzzle was only a couple of inches away from his face. If the weapon went off, he would never get out of the way in time.

'You lot are cleverer than I thought. I knew you would see right through my letter and find the fingerprint. But I expected you would bring me to Thames House rather than here. That way I could have accessed your records and gotten your codes. That was my true goal. But now, I guess I'm going to have to disappear and live to fight another day.'

Ros had been edging towards the set of knives on the kitchen side behind her and was within touching distance of them when Doherty turned unexpectedly and fired a shot at the block, causing the knives to spin all over the floor.

'What did I tell you blondie? Now give me your car keys unless you want your face rearranging.'

Ros looked to Harry for advice and he nodded his head slightly for her to do as he asked. He wanted this over and done with as quickly as possible before Ruth came back with the food. Doherty took Ros' car keys and began to back slowly out of the room. When he was as close to the front door as he could manage without losing sight of the two spooks, he turned and made a run for the car parked outside. Ros immediately chased after him but was too late. He was already in the car and gunning the engine by the time she reached the front door, Harry close behind her.

They watched as he sped off from the side of the path and it was then that Harry noted with horror Ruth walking slowly along the pavement with a bag full of what looked like Chinese takeaway. He tried to shout out to her, to warn her but no sound came from his mouth. He could only watch on in horror as Doherty swerved to miss another car and rode up onto the pavement, knocking Ruth down before driving off and disappearing around a corner.

* * *

><p>It was all he could do to stay standing, and he watched dumbly as Ros tried to wake Ruth up. There was a large cut on her forehead that was bleeding profusely, but what concerned him the most was the way in which she had hit the floor. Her stomach had taken the full force of the fall and his hands shook when he thought of what that could mean for their baby.<p>

'Harry, ring an ambulance. Harry! Are you listening? Get an ambulance. _Now.'_

He pulled himself together and grabbed his phone from his inside pocket. The operator informed him an ambulance would be with them within minutes and true to her word, after a short time he could hear one approaching in the distance.

As the paramedics loaded Ruth into the back of the ambulance he held her hand tightly and shared a look with Ros.

'Find him.'

With a steely look in her eyes Ros nodded and then the doors shut between them, the ambulance racing off towards the hospital.

* * *

><p>Harry had been waiting for a little over twenty minutes when the doctor came out of the emergency room to speak with him. He wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing that it had taken so little time but he tried to be positive.<p>

'Is she going to be alright?'

The doctor motioned for him to sit back down and immediately he became nervous. He knew what 'take a seat' meant. That usually meant there was bad news involved.

'Mr Pearce, I'm Dr Alan Wright. We've stabilised your fiance's head wound. She has a mild concussion but that will heal in a few days. What's causing us concern is the blow she took to her abdomen. I'm afraid she has internal bleeding and we fear she may have lacerated her liver.'

Harry listened without really taking in the words, too numb from the shock to feel anything.

'What does that mean?'

Dr Wright sighed and looked up and down the corridor, as if hoping some help would appear from somewhere.

'It means...we need to operate to repair the damage to her liver, or she could bleed to death. We also need to give her drugs to counteract the fact her liver is no longer functioning properly. However...the drugs we need to give her...well, they are toxic to foetuses.'

Harry looked up sharply then, not quite believing what he had just heard.

'What are you trying to tell me?'

'I'm sorry Mr Pearce. But as next of kin you have to make this decision. If we operate to save your fiance's life, your baby will not survive. But if we don't operate, Ruth will not make it through the night.'


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: I realise I was really quite mean in ending the previous chapter where I did, so I've got this next one done rather quickly. I'm afraid it isn't going to get any happier though...yet!**

* * *

><p>Harry sat staring at his shaking hands, not quite able to believe what the doctor was telling him. They had been so happy this morning, joking and laughing about turning his office into a room for the baby, and now this? He would find Doherty and cause him a great deal of pain if it was the last thing he ever did.<p>

'Mr Pearce? How far along is Ruth?' Dr Wright asked gently.

'What?'

'Her pregnancy. How far along is she?'

Harry continued to stare at his hands as he tried to take in what Dr Wright was telling him. He couldn't bring himself to look the other man in the eye for fear of breaking down.

'Oh. Erm, she's 5 and a half months.'

Harry finally felt brave enough to look up at Dr Wright but as soon as their eyes met he wished he hadn't.

'Uh...a delivery by caesarean section at 5 and a half months is too early. The baby won't have developed enough yet.' Dr Wright paused to allow Harry to absorb this information but he hadn't shown any outward signs of having heard him.

'Do you understand what I'm saying Mr Pearce?'

'Sorry...what?'

Harry couldn't focus on what the doctor was saying at all. He kept thinking about how on earth he was going to tell Ruth what he'd done when she woke up.

'I'm sorry Mr Pearce...what I mean to say is, even if we did deliver, we wouldn't be able to save the child. Your best bet now is to allow us to perform surgery and save your fiancé's life.'

'Will she...I mean, if we wanted to...could she...conceive again?'

Dr Wright sighed and debated internally whether or not to sugar coat the truth for this obviously distraught man. Eventually he decided against it, it might only cause him more pain in the future.

'I won't lie to you. There's a good chance she won't be able to. Bu the truth is, we just don't know. It's different for each person. What I need is for you to sign this form...' He handed Harry a medical release form and pen. '...and there is one last thing I need to discuss with you too.'

Harry signed the form and slumped back in his chair. He had just signed away his child's life. How was he ever going to forgive himself? How was Ruth ever going to forgive him?

'When the...procedure is finished, we will have an opportunity to perform a caesarean section to remove the foetus if you would like. Now this will leave some scarring, but it is the safest option, and will mean Ruth won't have to deliver stillborn.'

By now Harry was holding his head in his hands, trying his absolute best to hold back the tears. He waved the doctor away with one hand.

'Yes, yes. Do it.'

He waited until Dr Wright had disappeared around the corner before allowing the first tears to fall.

* * *

><p>'We need to find this man.'<p>

Ros slammed a picture of Doherty down on the table between Jo and Dimitri and they both inspected it carefully.

'This is the man that knocked down Ruth?' Jo asked.

Ros nodded and brought up their latest information on the big screen.

'Customs spotted him trying to cross over into France at Dover. They tried to detain him but he fled. Dimitri, get down there now and find out what you can, but do not engage until we have further orders from Harry. Jo, I want you to look further into his background, see if you can dig up any other property, or friends he might contact for help.'

The two spooks nodded but neither moved.

'Is she ok? Ruth, I mean.' Dimitri asked.

'I don't know, Harry hasn't been in touch yet. Let's get going.' Ros replied.

* * *

><p>'Mr Pearce, your fiancé is out of theatre now. The operation was a success and we also performed the caesarean section. She's still a bit groggy from the concussion but you can go in and see her if you like.'<p>

Harry shook Dr Wright's hand gratefully, having composed himself since their previous conversation.

'Does she...I mean, did you tell her about the baby?'

The doctor shook his head sadly.

'She's only just coming to, and I thought you might prefer it to come from yourself.'

Harry nodded and carefully made his way towards Ruth's bed. She looked so frail and tiny hooked up to the various machines and his heart broke to see her like that. He sat beside her and took her small hand in his own, mindful of the drip sticking out of the back of her hand.

'Hi sweetheart, you gave me quite a scare there.'

Ruth blinked sleepily and eventually managed to focus on Harry's face.

'Harry...what happened?'

He was about to explain the events of the last few hours when something in Ruth's expression changed. It was almost as if she could sense she was no longer pregnant. Her hands clutched at her stomach and she began to panic.

'Harry...Harry, the baby. Where's the baby. What's happened to my baby!'

He tried to hold her wrists to get her to calm down but she was hysterical. In the end he simply pulled her to his chest and held her as she wept.

'I'm so sorry Ruth. They couldn't save the baby. I'm so so sorry.'

* * *

><p>Ros hung up the phone and stared long and hard at it for quite some time. Dimitri had found Doherty easily, through an old school friend that Jo had dug up. He was watching him now and awaiting further instructions. What Ros didn't know was whether or not she should tell Harry this information. She knew he was likely to murder Doherty, and she didn't want to risk him getting himself into trouble over this business. She decided to ring him anyway and play it by ear, since she wanted an update on how Ruth was doing. The phone was halfway to her ear when she noticed that Harry was actually stood in his office, staring listlessly at the wall.<p>

She entered without knocking and he didn't even look over at her when she closed the door. Now that she was closer to him she could see the tear tracks on his face and immediately feared the worst.

'Harry...she's not...'

Harry shook his head but failed to snap out of his trance like state.

'And the baby...?' Ros tried.

He didn't move for a few seconds but then suddenly punched the wall in front of him, causing Ros to jump.

'Ruth is no longer pregnant.'

His words were so full of pain and anguish that Ros really didn't know what to say. She moved closer instead and inspected Harry's now bloodied hand.

'You'll need to clean that out. I'm...sorry Harry. I don't know what to say.'

Harry stared at his cut hand as if it belonged to somebody else.

'Have you found Doherty?'

Ros hesitated then. If she'd had doubts about telling Harry his whereabouts before, then those doubts had now increased dramatically.

'Harry...Ruth needs you right now. She needs you by her side. She doesn't need you going off killing somebody in revenge and possibly getting yourself thrown in prison.'

Harry continued to stare at his hand and in a rare show of tenderness Ros placed her hand on his upper arm and squeezed gently.

'Go and be with Ruth, Harry. I will take care of Doherty, in a way that doesn't arouse suspicion. Go.'

She watched as he put on his jacket and retrieved his phone from the desk nearby. He looked a lost man and she had never seen him like this before. It worried her greatly.

'Thank you Ros.'

He nodded in her direction and left through the pods, leaving her to ponder over the most painful death she could possibly come up with.


	29. Chapter 29

Ruth sat in the living room staring emptily at the wall opposite her. She could hear Harry in the kitchen clattering around while he made them both a cup of tea. They'd arrived home from the hospital a few minutes ago and the silence between them had been deafening as they'd removed their coats and stood awkwardly in the hall. She had to admit, the last thing she wanted right now was a cup of tea, but she'd readily accepted when Harry had offered to make one for her just so that she had something to say to him.

It wasn't that she was mad at him. He had explained to her while she had still been in the hospital the choice he'd had to make, and they had wept and grieved over the loss of their child together. She didn't blame him for what he'd done, she realised he'd not really had any choice. But it didn't make it any easier living with the pain. Harry had explained that he had left Ros in charge of the grid in his absence, and in an unexpected move for him, he was leaving the fate of Doherty in Ros' capable hands.

This was new to her. She had half expected to spend the next week alone while he went off on some revenge mission, so to hear that he had taken Ros' advice and let her deal with it was oddly comforting for her. When Harry came back into the room with two steaming cups of tea she managed a small smile in his direction. There was no need for them to grow apart and take their pain out on each other, she thought.

He sat down beside her and inspected the bandage on her head while they waited for their tea to cool. She flinched when he touched a particularly sore patch of skin and he apologised softly and drew away from her.

'Are the headaches any better?'

Ruth looked down at her feet and nodded. She didn't trust herself to speak yet without breaking down in tears again. She had to give Harry credit though, he tried to keep the conversation going.

'Ruth...I know this is hardly the time or the place, but...' He looked at her carefully and seemed to change his mind about whatever he was going to say.

'Go on Harry, I'm not going to break.'

He took a deep breath and shifted on the seat next to her. It was obvious he was reluctant to spit it out, which made her nervous.

'Well, the thing is...when you were...in hospital, the um, the caterer called about the food for the wedding. I didn't know what to tell him so I said we would ring him back by the end of the week. I wasn't sure if...you would, well...still want to marry me.'

She looked up then and saw Harry fidgeting nervously. How could he possibly think she wouldn't want to marry him anymore? She reached for his hand with her own and squeezed tightly.

'Harry, I don't blame you for what happened. Of course I still want to marry you. But I don't know if...if I can face all those people and their...their pity.'

He pulled her into a tight hug, careful to avoid her injured head. The relief was evident on his face as he kissed her hair lightly.

'We could postpone?'

Ruth played with the engagement ring on her finger while she pondered that suggestion. They could postpone, but if they did, would they ever actually get round to it? She had been looking forward to the wedding so much before the accident. Maybe a wedding and a honeymoon was just what she needed to get away from life for a while in order to get over what had happened?

'What if...well, I mean if you don't mind. What if we um, got married without any guests? Just two witnesses. What do you think?'

She looked hopefully up at him as he thought about this and breathed a sigh of relief when he smiled and nodded.

'I think I want to get married to you next week.'

* * *

><p>'I'm not really a people person, Mr Doherty, so this is somewhat of a change for me. Getting to know somebody as intimately as this. Wouldn't you agree?'<p>

Doherty groaned through the gag in his mouth and pulled in vain against the rope binding his wrists to the chair. When Ros touched the tazer to his bare chest again he screamed in agony, but it was mostly drowned out by the material stuffed into his mouth.

'Now now, what did I tell you about keeping the noise down? We don't want the neighbours complaining do we?'

She punched him hard across the face and he was on the verge of slipping blissfully into unconsciousness when she shocked him again, causing him to cry out once more.

'You were in a car accident recently. A friend of mine was seriously injured in that accident, did you know that? She lost her baby. I think it might have impaired my judgement towards you somewhat.'

Doherty's eyes were wide with fear as Ros approached him with a large knife in her hand. He tried frantically to free his hands, but without success. When the knife slid effortlessly across his neck he felt a searing pain for a few seconds before the darkness overtook him and he felt no more.

* * *

><p>Harry's phone started ringing but he made no attempt to retrieve it. He was laid out on the sofa with Ruth draped over him and the last thing he wanted to do was move her to answer the phone. However, when it began to ring a second time, Ruth stirred and groggily looked up at him.<p>

'Aren't you going to answer that?'

He slid out from underneath her and immediately tensed when he saw the caller ID. Moving into the kitchen, he answered the phone and spoke quietly so that Ruth could not hear his side of the conversation.

'Ros, what is it?' He asked.

'_Doherty's been found in a notorious gang infested part of Southampton Harry. Early signs indicate he was tortured with a tazer gun before his throat was cut. He was carrying money whose serial numbers have been traced to a local crime lord in the area, so police think he must have gotten on the wrong side of somebody down here.'_

Harry pondered Ros' comments for a moment. It was obvious she was responsible for the whole thing, she just couldn't say so over the phone and he was eternally grateful that she had gone to so much trouble for him and Ruth.

'Ros, _thank you_ for the...update. I'll be back on the grid tomorrow so we can talk properly then. I have something I need to ask you before you go though.'

'_What is it Harry?'_

'Well, there are two things really. Firstly, would you be interested in taking over section D on a temporary basis while I take an extended leave of absence for four weeks?'

'_Of course Harry. Is everything alright?'_

Harry leaned out of the kitchen door just to check Ruth still couldn't hear him. They had agreed to still get married, but he wanted the month long honeymoon to be a surprise. He figured they could grieve properly and get over the loss of their child in their own time away from the stresses of work.

'Yes, yes, everything's fine. Well, as fine as it can be. The other thing I wanted to ask you was, would you be a witness for mine and Ruth's wedding next week?'

* * *

><p>Harry returned home from the store and placed the carrier bag full of food on the kitchen table. Whistling a happy tune to himself, he threw a solitary dog treat to Scarlett before poking his head around the living room door, expecting to see Ruth where he had left her. When she wasn't anywhere to be seen, he stopped his whistling stood in the hall.<p>

'Ruth? Where are you?'

When he received no reply he climbed the stairs and headed towards their bedroom, his worry increasing with every step. Gently he eased their bedroom door open to find Ruth sat on the floor crying. There was a dress bunched up tightly in her hands and he crouched down beside her, his arms finding their way around her waist.

'What is it sweetheart?'

She tried to talk through her tears but was unsuccessful at the first two attempts so he pressed his lips to hers before gently wiping away her tears. She seemed to calm down slightly at his presence and he managed to pry the dress gently out of her hands. It only took him a minute to decide that it must be the dress she had been planning to wear for their wedding, since he had never seen it before. He put two and two together in his head and realised that it was a maternity dress, the material around the stomach area fluttering out delicately to accommodate any size baby bump.

'Oh, Ruth. I'm so sorry. We really don't have to do this you know. If you're not ready.'

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and buried her face in the front of his shirt.

'I want to...it's just...seeing th-the dress...it made me r-remember...'

'Sssshhhh, ssshhhhh it's alright.'

They sat on the floor not moving for a while, until Harry's back began to complain and Ruth's sniffles had started to subside. Trying not to groan in pain, he moved the pair of them onto the bed and wrapped his arms tightly around Ruth's waist.

'Are you sure you want to do this? We can still postpone if you want to.'

He kissed her hair while she played with the buttons on his shirt, thinking over his proposal.

'No...no, I want to marry you. It was just a shock, that's all. I'd forgotten I even had that dress.'

A thought occurred to him and he reached into his back pocket with great difficulty and retrieved his wallet. Slipping out his credit card, he placed it in Ruth's hands and was pleased to see her smile slightly.

'Well I suppose this means you'll need to spend more of my money?'

Ruth looked at the credit card in her hands for a second before kissing Harry lovingly.

'I love you Harry.'

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><p><strong>AN: I'm not sure how many more chapters of this fic there will be, but I've decided to end it on a happy note (I promise!) after their honeymoon.**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Sorry this is short, but I've been struck down with a particularly vicious bout of tonsillitis. Hence, the only painless position I can find is curled up in bed with a hot water bottle! I wanted to get something out today though, so here it is. When I'm feeling better I will be adding an M rated extension to this chapter, as well as a second chapter to The Dinner, which a couple of people requested. Reviews might contribute to an early recovery :)**

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><p>'It's not too late to back out you know. Harry wouldn't blame you, after...everything.'<p>

Ruth smoothed down her dress with nervous hands and looked at Ros through the mirror in front of her.

'No...we need this. We need to try to get back to some sort of normality.'

'Since when did you and Harry ever do normal?'

Ros' joke had the desired effect when Ruth chuckled and she watched, relieved, as some of the tension left her colleague's body. Marriage was not something she ever expected to happen for herself, so this was as close as she was ever going to get. She handed Ruth her bouquet of flowers and held the door open.

'After you m'lady.'

* * *

><p>'Blasted thing. I give up!'<p>

Harry threw his bow tie on the table beside him and slouched moodily in his chair. Dimitri saw him eyeing up the bottle of scotch and though it best he intervened.

'It's not the bow tie that's broken Harry, it's you. I've never seen you so nervous.'

'Yes well, when you finally convince some poor, misguided woman to accompany you down the aisle, _then_ we'll talk about nerves.' Harry replied.

'How is Miss Portman these days, anyway?' He added rather cheekily.

Dimitri went a deep shade of red and admitted defeat, opening the bottle of scotch and pouring them both a glass.

'You know, on my first day on the grid, I asked Ruth out on a date.'

'Before I knew you were engaged of course.' He added quickly, at Harry's deathly glare.

'Is there a point to this admission Mr Levendis, or do you just have a burning desire to visit the far reaches of Siberia?'

Dimitri coughed awkwardly.

'My point...yes, I did have one, I'm sure. Ah yes, my point is that she shot me down quicker than a Russian spy plane over British land. She loves you. You'll be fine, so stop worrying.'

Harry had a private laugh to himself over Dimitri's choice of words before taking strange comfort in them. Yes, Ruth did love him. And now it was time to go and get married. He picked up his bow tie with renewed vigour and tied it at the first attempt.

'Let's go and find my future wife, shall we?'

* * *

><p>Harry leaned against the bathroom doorway and watched Ruth as she lay on the bed in the hotel room fiddling with her wedding ring. She looked as beautiful as he had ever seen her.<p>

'Penny for your thoughts Lady Pearce?'

He lowered himself onto the bed beside her and smiled widely when she immediately took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers.

'I was thinking...tonight's our wedding night.'

Harry laid back on the pillows and tugged on their still joined hands, pulling Ruth with him. She settled on his chest, her free hand playing with the gaps between his shirt buttons and teasing the skin she found there. It was driving him crazy, but he tried to focus on the conversation.

'Ruth, I don't want you to do anything you don't want to.'

She buried her head in the crook of his neck then and he separated their hands so that he could wrap his arms tightly around her.

'I know Harry. It's just we haven't...you know. Since...you know. And I feel like I'm punishing you.'

In any other time with any other person, Harry would have had absolutely no idea what that sentence meant. As it was, this was the woman he had loved for nearly a decade and without any prompting whatsoever he knew exactly what she meant.

'Ruth, it's not like I'm a horny teenager.'

This caused Ruth to giggle, and in turn him to smile.

'And contrary to popular belief, men, and me especially, can go more than a few seconds without thinking of...that.'

She looked up at him incredulously which caused him to sigh and kiss the top of her head.

'OK, I'm not going to lie. Making love to you is at the forefront of my mind every minute of every day. But in my thoughts, you're enjoying it just as much as me. I would never want you to feel that I pushed you into anything too soon after...that.'

Ruth kissed his neck and slid her hand completely inside the top of his now partially open shirt. He hadn't even noticed that she'd undone the first couple of buttons, but the way she was playing with the hairs on his chest made him almost forget his name.

'Harry, we're in Paris. We've got five _weeks_ until we have to go back to our lives in England. It's our wedding night, and I want to make love to my husband. But...'

Harry rolled them both onto their sides so that he could look directly into Ruth's eyes.

'If there's a but, it means you're not ready.'

Ruth leaned forward and kissed Harry with controlled passion. For a moment he forgot what they were talking about, until he felt Ruth slipping the rest of his shirt buttons out of their holes.

'My but is...'

'Beautiful and sexy?' Harry interjected.

Ruth slapped him playfully on the arm.

'Flattery won't get you anywhere Mr Pearce. My but is...will you um, you know...wear protection? I...I'm not ready to get pregnant again yet.'

She looked down at the bed sheets as she spoke, indicating to Harry that she was unsure how he would react to this request, which astounded him. He pressed gently on her chin with his thumb, forcing her to look at him.

'Ruth, I would do anything for you. _Anything_. I love you so much.'

They kissed again briefly before Harry reached for his jacket that he had earlier thrown over the nearby chair. He retrieved his wallet from the inside pocket and placed the small wrapper on the sheet in the gap between their bodies.

'I um...I didn't want to assume we would...you know. But...I thought if we did that you wouldn't want to take any chances so soon after... So I came prepared.'

This time it was his turn to be apprehensive about Ruth's reaction. Thankfully, she merely smiled and kissed him again. The kiss quickly turned passionate and Harry's hands began to roam over Ruth's body. When they found the zip at the side of her dress and slowly began to lower it, she tensed and placed her hand over his to stop his progress. At his questioning gaze, she pecked him on the lips before explaining.

'I want to, believe me. It's just, I have a scar...from the operation. It's horrible. I'm...horrible.'

Despite Ruth's resistance Harry continued to lower the zip and gently pulled down Ruth's dress, exposing her bra clad breasts and stomach. He looked at the scar that ran across her stomach and lowered his head to kiss every centimetre of it.

'You're beautiful.' He whispered against her skin, not waiting for a reply before capturing her lips in a searing kiss.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: I've decided to make this the last chapter for this fic so that I can crack on with A Lengthy Suspension. I hope you like this, and I'll try to have the second chapter of A Lengthy Suspension up by the end of the week, but I won't promise anything as I've got a week full of business meetings! Also, if anybody has been to Switzerland, you'll know that I could not possibly do the view justice in my inadequate description in this chapter. The Alps and surrounding lakes are the most beautiful things I've ever seen with my own two eyes and I recommend anybody to visit there at some point in their lives.**

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><p><strong>Paris, France<strong>

When Ruth awoke the first thing she became aware of was Harry's arm draped protectively around her stomach. As soon as she tried to move he mumbled something unintelligible in his sleep and tightened his grip on her, causing her to smile. She gave up on the idea of getting out of bed for the moment and looked out of their hotel window at the Paris skyline. It was going to be a warm day; there were no clouds in the sky and the sun was shining already even though it was only around 7am. She remembered the previous night asking Harry if they could visit the Eiffel Tower today and resolved to wake him up sooner rather than later. If they wanted to avoid the tourist rush they would need to be there quite early.

'Harry...Harry wake up.'

She nudged the arm still tightly wrapped around her waist and tried to escape from his grasp but again he tightened his grip on her.

'No...spiders are coming. They'll take you away.'

Ruth had to stifle a giggle at Harry's sleep talking. Clearly he was having a rather interesting dream.

'Harry. Wake Up.'

She spoke louder this time and leaned closer to his head to try to rouse him. He woke with a start, sitting straight up in the bed and looking around wildly. Ruth couldn't resist teasing him.

'It's alright Harry, the spiders have gone. I gave them what for.'

He looked puzzled for a moment, then shocked that she had known what he was dreaming about.

'How did you...?'

'You were talking in your sleep. I find it quite adorable actually.'

'I do not talk in my sleep.' Harry replied indignantly.

This caused Ruth to laugh, but she stroked Harry's arm gently at the same time to show she was only teasing him.

'Harry...how else would I know that you were having problems with some troublesome little creatures?'

Harry got out of bed in a mock sulk and began padding towards the bathroom.

'They weren't little in _my_ dream...'

* * *

><p>'Oh isn't it beautiful?'<p>

Ruth wrapped her arms around Harry's waist inside his jacket in order to protect herself from the blustery wind that was whipping around them at the top of the tower. They looked out across the city, marvelling at the wonderful view. Harry nodded silently and kissed the top of Ruth's head, pulling her closer against him. Although it was a warm day, the sheer altitude of where they were standing meant it was also incredibly windy. When they had first stepped onto the top level, Harry had had to reassure Ruth multiple times that he would not lean over the railings and get 'blown off' by the wind. He thought it a rather strange thing for a woman of Ruth's intelligence to be worrying about, but went along with it anyway to put her at ease.

The wind was still going strong, and occasionally it would cause the metalwork to creak ominously. Coupled with the fact that quite a few more people were making their way to the top, Harry decided they ought to make their way back down to the bottom. He extricated himself from Ruth's tight grasp and took her hand in his.

'Come on, let's go and find a lovely little cafe and have some breakfast.'

* * *

><p><strong>Venice, Italy<strong>

'Ruth, I'm sorry.'

She was stood on the side of the road, arms folded, foot tapping and sporting an infuriated expression that told him he wouldn't be getting lucky that night. He decided to try a different approach.

'I thought that you might...'

'Not. Another. Word.'

'But I...'

'Harry!'

He opened his mouth to try to protest but thought better of it when he caught her eye. They stayed like that on the side of the street in a tense silence for almost five minutes before Harry felt it safe to speak again.

'Would you like to um, go back to the hotel?'

Her head swivelled to face him so fast that he was amazed she didn't get whiplash. He prepared himself for the inevitable outburst that she had clearly been holding in since the moment the day had gone so horribly wrong.

'Would I like to go back to the hotel? Why no Harry, in fact I'd quite like to walk around for the rest of the day in my soaking wet clothes. Go on a boat, you said. Perfectly safe, you promised. Well, it was perfectly safe until you decided to throw me in the bloody river!'

Harry opened his mouth without thinking, prepared to correct her that in fact it was not technically a river she had fallen into, but a canal, then thought better of it and closed his mouth promptly. He stood there like a schoolboy receiving a telling off while she continued to rant.

'And what made you think it could possibly have been a good idea to lunge over the side of the boat? Did you not see me standing up on the other side? And all to rescue your _sandwich._ Christ, if it had been the Mona Lisa I could have understood but a bloody sandwich? For crying out loud Harry!'

If they had been in a cartoon, no doubt Ruth would have had steam coming out of her ears by now. Harry decided it was time to try to defuse the situation the only way he knew how; with a bit of humour.

'But Ruth, you did so expertly recover and swim to shore. And I did save my sandwich.'

He held the empty bag aloft that now only contained a few crumbs in the bottom for Ruth to see. This did not seem to impress her. She turned on her heel and made off in the general direction of their hotel. Harry followed at a quick pace, trying to keep up. His back was already aching at the night he was expecting to spend on the sofa.

* * *

><p><strong>Thun, Switzerland<strong>

Ruth had never seen anything so beautiful in her entire life, and that was saying a lot. The lake stretched out for what seemed like miles. It was a beautiful green-blue colour and the sunlight bounced off the surface to give it a shimmering effect. The mountains in the distance surrounded the lake perfectly, the snow on the tops and surrounding cloud making the whole view wonderfully picturesque.

'Better than swimming in Venice, hmmm?' Harry asked.

Enough time had gone by now that Harry was able to joke about the incident in Venice with Ruth. Her frustration at him had lasted only two days before she'd seen the funny side and relented to his romantic onslaught. He'd showered her with flowers, chocolates, poems and anything else he could think of to get her to forgive him and it had worked eventually. Now, this view was the icing on the cake for him. He was well and truly back in Ruth's good books. He could tell by the look of sheer awe written all over her face that she found the quaint little village they currently found themselves in and its surrounding view very beautiful indeed.

'Let's stay here forever.'

Harry chuckled at Ruth's suggestion, knowing she wasn't being entirely serious, but at the same time thinking to himself that it wouldn't be such a bad idea at all.

'If only. No terrorists. No Home Secretary. No bombs. Just us, a hot tub and the mountains.'

'I'm serious Harry. Let's go back to England, get our affairs in order and retire to this wonderful place.'

Harry looked deep into Ruth's eyes to see if she was pulling his leg, but she looked deadly serious. It shocked him for a minute. When they had embarked on this extended honeymoon, he had expected her to be chomping at the bit to return to work after only a couple of weeks. This suggestion that they retire and live out the remainder of their lives in Switzerland was a surprise indeed.

'Well...what would we do?'

'Look at it Harry. I'd be perfectly fine sitting on our porch with a book gazing at this view for hours on end.'

He rubbed his chin while he gave her suggestion some thought. Was he ready to retire from the service yet? Leave it all behind and live a normal life? He thought about Ruth, and the baby they had lost. If they had been living a normal life, he might be a parent for the third time by now. That made the decision for him.

'If you really want to do this, then I'm all for it.'

Ruth squealed and pulled Harry into a tight hug before kissing him soundly.

'So...Switzerland?' She asked once more, needing to know he was sure.

'Switzerland.' He nodded and pulled her in for another kiss.

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><p><em>The End<em>


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